Obama ozone standards face delay

WASHINGTON, D. C.: The House on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) bill to delay the timeline for states to meet ozone standards, mostly along a 229-199 party-line vote.

House Resolution No. 806, would give states until October 2026, over nine years, to reach the 2015 ozone standards set by the Environmen Obama administration. The bill also would limit future regulations that crack down on the pollutant.

co- sponsors: Rep. Bill Flores, R-Bryan; Rep. Henry Cuellar DLaredo; Rep. Michael Burgess, R R-Dallas; Rep. Randy Weber, RFriendswood; Rep. Brian Babin; RWoodville; and Rep. Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio.

Only 11 Republicans voted no. Cuellar was one of four Democrats to support the bill, and Rep. Kay Granger, R-Fort Worth, did not vote.

- ibility so that states and localities can adequately achieve new, lower standards with time for compliance,” Olson said in a news release. “Health remains the and giving our local officials the tools they need to make the Clean Air Act work.”

The bill would delay requirements by states to implement part of the 2015 Environmental lowering the acceptable level reconsider the ozone rule every 10 years instead of the current

Business and manufacturing groups also supported the bill, which now heads to the Senate.

the bill was economically smart.

“I believe it is critical that we continue to make strides in cleaning our air while providing states ensure communities aren’t saddled creation and cripple our economy,” he said in a news release.

But Krystal Henagan, a San Antonio mother who leads the the Moms Clean Air Force, disagrees. She said that progressive environmental policy doesn’t have to come at the cost of jobs.

“There are solutions available, and a lot of times they help create jobs, they help build the economy, make the economy strong she said. “Implementing these solutions are not job- killing regulations, it’s something that’s good for our economy and good for our future.”

Last week, the Moms Clean Air Force, a national organization for mothers supporting climate policy reform, teamed up with Mi Familia Vota, a Hispanic political mobilization group, and gathered on the Senate lawn to raise awareness of environmental issues.

“I’m going to talk about urging them to promote solutions for climate change, urging them to keep protections on smog, so not rolling back protections on ozone smog,” Henagan said of her plans to meet

- cians’ views on the environment as troublesome, especially given - line threatened by sea level rise, drought throughout.

“They don’t see the connection, it’s just ‘pollute pollute pollute, spew more into the air,’ ” she said.

“It’s time they stand up and start talking about solutions and implementing solutions.”