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Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a new smog pollution proposal to lower the current 75 parts per billion (ppb) standard to one in the range of 65 ppb to 70 ppb, while also seeking comment on setting it as low as 60 ppb. The standard was last updated in 2008 when the Bush administration rejected the recommendations of expert scientists and medical health professionals, who warned 75 ppb was insufficient to protect public health and would leave too many Americans in harm’s way. 
Over the past six years, scientists, medical experts, and public health advocates have consistently highlighted the need for a stronger standard and have pointed to an ever-growing body of scientific literature that demonstrates significant harm to public health, particularly in vulnerable populations like children, the elderly, and those with breathing ailments like asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
In response to the EPA proposal, Dr. Neil Carman of the Sierra Club Lone Star Chapter issued the following statement:
“I welcome this new proposal. Reducing the ozone standard to this range will help protect millions of Texans. Many naysayers have said that Houston and Dallas would never achieve the old ozone standards, but they have each reached milestones this year. However, the current standard does not align with the scientific consensus that ground level ozone should be lower to protect human health. Once adopted, cities like Austin, Corpus Christi, San Antonio, Beaumont-Port Arthur, Waco, Temple, El Paso, and the Tyler-Longview-Marshall area could also see a reduction in harmful pollution.”
Dr. Cyrus Reed, Acting Chapter Director of the Lone Star Chapter added:
“Texas can achieve these crucial health-based ozone standards with solutions already at our fingertips. For example, we can finally require modern pollution equipment on our oldest and dirtiest coal plants, continue to clean up our transportation sector with the help of a fully-funded Texas Emissions Reduction Plan and the Drive-a-Clean-Machine program, and clean up our oil and gas fields which are driving up ozone pollution by venting and flaring natural gas and producing NOx and VOC emissions from outdated storage tanks, compressors, and drilling rigs."