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Will new EPA regs cost jobs?

How clean can America’s air get while still keeping energy affordable for consumers and not result in extensive job loss?

EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy has proposed   amending national ozone pollution standards. Her plan would revise the current standard of 75 parts per billion (the concentration of ozone pollution in the air we breathe) to a standard in the range of 65-70 parts per billion, while taking public comment on a level as low as 60. Across the U.S. 558 counties would be in violation of the new rule. The EPA believes the measure will cost about $17 billion by 2025, leading manufacturers to state that this may be the most costly move ever taken. The concept was originally proposed in 2011 but delayed by the White house for political reasons until after the election cycle.

The concept has triggered substantial dissent. U.S. Chamber of Commerce Senior Vice President for the Environment, Technology, and Regulatory Affairs Bill Kovacs noted thatThe EPA’s proposal to lower the ozone standard will have potentially damaging economic consequences for this country. This stricter standard will lead to more nonattainment designations across the United States, which translates into restrictions on expansion, permitting delays, increased costs to industry, and an impact to transportation planning. This more stringent standard will also strike at the heart of those areas that are just beginning to appreciate the economic benefits of planning for and building new facilities, expanding existing ones, and developing their communities.”
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According to NERA Economic Consulting the stricter ozone regulation could reduce U.S. GDP by $270 billion per year and $3.4 trillion from 2017 to 2040, resulting in 2.9 million fewer jobs or job equivalents per year on average through 2040.

Ideally, of course, America’s air would be pristine, resembling what it was in when the U.S. was a sparsely settled nation before industrialization and the development of the power grid. The question is how close to that condition can the nation without turning off the lights and irreparably damaging the economy.