WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) released the following statement today regarding the Obama Administration’s newly-announced ozone rule:

“As Americans prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving with their friends and families, the Obama Administration has taken the opportunity to roll-out what some experts estimate could be the most expensive regulation ever.

“Almost 9 million people are still looking for good-paying jobs nationwide. The last thing workers and families in Missouri need is yet another burdensome regulation that will further stifle jobs and economic opportunity. I look forward to participating in a thorough review of this costly rule in the new Republican-led Congress.”

Background Information:

Blunt is a co-sponsor of U.S. Senator John Thune’s (S.D.) bipartisan, bicameral Clean Air, Strong Economies (CASE) Act, which would block the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from lowering the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ground-level ozone below 75 ppb until 85 percent of the current non-attainment counties achieve compliance with the existing standard.

The CASE Act would require the EPA to consider the costs and feasibility of the lower standard, which the EPA currently does not consider. The legislation would also prohibit the EPA from using unreliable modeling to expand non-attainment areas to rural counties that otherwise would not be impacted by the expensive regulation.