Last week the US Environmental Protection Agency unveiled a plan that would set a new more stringent rule for the amount of ozone pollution in the air. The proposal is based on new research on the health effects of ozone pollution.
In fact, the EPA says if adopted, the new rule could prevent as many as 4,300 premature deaths nationwide in the next decade. But it has been met with controversy. Republicans and business groups say the positive health benefits are outweighed by the cost of complying with the new rule, some have gone as far as to call it “nearly impossible.”
Of course, the San Joaquin Valley has struggled to meet the current 8 hour standard for years – in fact the valley is already an “extreme nonattainment zone” – and the new more stringent rules make reaching compliance even tougher.
To answer what this means for you and your family we speak with Seyed Sadredin, Executive Director of the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District.
