Reid Statement On Obama Administration Ozone Standards

Statement

Nevada Senator Harry Reid released the following statement after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it was strengthening its ozone standards. Under the new rule, the standard for ground-level ozone will go from 75 parts per billion to 70 parts per billion, saving hundreds of lives, avoiding hundreds-of-thousands of asthma attacks among children, and saving businesses money by avoiding tens-of-thousands of missed work days. Ozone is the primary component of smog, and breathing ozone can cause health problems, especially for children, the elderly, and people with lung diseases and asthma. By law, the EPA is required to review certain air quality standards, including ozone, every five years and revise standards to ensure that they adequately protect public health based on the latest science.

"Stronger air pollution standards are necessary to protect and improve the health of our children, the elderly, and people with lung diseases and asthma. I applaud the administration for taking the important step to reduce ozone pollution," Reid said. "In Nevada, where we've made clean energy a priority, we are well-positioned to meet the updated ozone pollution standards. The Silver State has invested $6 billion in renewable energy sources like solar, wind and geothermal and has become one of the nation's clean energy leaders. In Clark County, we've closed polluters like the Reid-Gardner coal-fired power plant, prioritized transit investments in plug-in electric hybrid and natural gas vehicles, while investing millions in the research and development of other clean, renewable energy sources. I welcome these new EPA standards and will continue to fight for clean energy and clean air in Nevada and across the country."

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