States sue EPA over tighter standards
It’s hard to please everyone—or, if you’re a regulatory body, anyone. Stricter ozone limits from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have been met with strong opposition, including a lawsuit involving five states. Meanwhile, environmental and health groups argue the limit isn’t tough enough.
On Oct. 1, the EPA formally published in the Federal Register its final rule to implement more stringent air quality standards for ground-level ozone. The new regulation drops the current limit of 75 parts per billion to 70.
“We all want clean air; however, reducing the ozone standards to 70 parts per billion will be nearly impossible for Arizona to attain,” said Arizona attorney general Mark Brnovich in a report on the political website The Hill.
Arizona, along with Arkansas, New Mexico, North Dakota and Oklahoma, are the five states suing the EPA.
If a state doesn’t meet ozone standards, it could face penalties including loss of transportation funding.
Businesses and industry groups also argue the new standard, effective Dec. 28, will be difficult and costly to implement, as well as hurt the economy.
National push for ‘Tobacco to 21’ takes hold
As predicted, a national effort is under way to raise the legal smoking age to 21 after Hawaii made headlines earlier this year for being the first state to do so. Hawaii’s law goes into effect Jan. 1.
Bills titled the “Tobacco to 21 Act” were introduced in the U.S. Senate and the U.S House in early October to prohibit the sale and use of tobacco products to anyone under the age of 21 nationwide.
The Senate bill was introduced by Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and has nine other co-sponsors; the House bill was introduced by Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colorado) and has one other co-sponsor, Rep. Mark Takai (D-Hawaii).
In a release, Schatz called Hawaii’s tobacco legislation “an historic public health achievement that we should adopt nationwide.
By raising the minimum tobacco age of sale to 21 across the country, we can cut the number of new smokers each year; build a healthier, tobacco-free America; and save lives.”
Also in October, state Rep. Vanessa Lowery Brown introduced a bill to raise the legal age to buy cigarettes and other tobacco products to 21 in Pennsylvania. The current legal age in the state is 18.
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