Last week, President Obama ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to drop proposed revisions on existing ozone regulations. Ground level ozone is the primary component of smog, which is known to worsen a variety of respiratory ailments from asthma to bronchitis to emphysema. The current standard has existed since 1997 and is inadequate to protect public health, according to EPA scientists. Despite this, the president abandoned the new standard, claiming he wants to reduce regulatory costs for businesses.
The biggest problem with the debate is a fundamental misunderstanding of the costs of regulation. According to the EPA, these ozone regulations would have cost anywhere from $20 to $90 billion a year, but this money would not simply disappear from the economy. As these pollutants are removed from American cities, the costs of the disease and death caused by them would decrease as well. Middle and lower class families, the primary victims of pollution-linked illnesses, would have more money to spend on things other than medication and hospital visits.
Besides saving thousands of lives, better ozone regulations are a sure-fire economic stimulus for the segment of society that is most likely to spend the money. In addition, considering the increased demand for environmental technologies needed to cut ozone emissions, the need for a transition to a more sustainable national growth model, and the eventual quality-of-life improvements for cities with less smog, it seems like this would be a slam-dunk policy. Unfortunately, these points fell on deaf ears in the White House, and the public will continue to suffer because of it.
It’s worth noting that many of President Obama’s recent pro-business additions to his staff have opposed public protections like this in the past. Chief of Staff William Daley, for instance, fought against the original regulations as head of the Commerce Department in 1997. This conservative influence is not only harming the public but also weakening the President’s chances of enjoying strong support from his base as the next election approaches.
President Obama needs to realize the power he has to influence the national environmental dialogue. His aversion to effective regulations makes the environmental crises this nation faces seem less pressing. Even so, countless citizens are sickened each year by pollutants in our air and water, our wilderness is being eaten up at a frightening rate, and the global climate continues to warm. These problems will only get worse until a president insists on finding solutions. Many people hoped Barack Obama was that president. So far, it looks like he is not.
