According to a news release from the EPA Office of Public Liaison Notices, For the first time in more than thirty-five years, EPA has proposed to strengthen the nation s nitrogen dioxide (NO2) air quality standard that protects public health.
The proposed changes reflect the latest science on the health effects of exposure to NO2, which is formed by emissions from cars, trucks, buses, power plants, and industrial facilities and can lead to respiratory disease.
ACSH s Dr. Gilbert Ross sees it differently: EPA is starting to flex its muscles and is seeking out imaginary public health hazards so that it can use the power of the federal government to justify their proposal for a huge budget increase.
Apropos of EPA s rampant regulation, National Review Online featured an account of some of EPA s recent attempts to effect expensive change such as this, as told by ACSH s Jeff Stier and Angela Logomasini of the Competitive Enterprise Institute. They warn of projects with goals similar to strengthening the nation s nitrogen dioxide air quality standard, designed solely to deplete government funds.