There wouldn’t appear to be many ways to spin this lede.
Ninety-nine million Americans…are breathing unhealthful air that can cause respiratory problems and even premature death, according to assessments released yesterday by the Environmental Protection Agency.
To put it mildly, it’s discouraging news. The EPA identified 243 counties with dangerously high soot pollution. One might think that EPA Administrator Mike would have a tough time putting a positive face on the news. But he didn’t seem to hesitate.
EPA Administrator Mike Leavitt said the announcement was “about getting our air cleaner and our standards getting tougher.”
“This is a very good news story,” he said.
I’m all for impressive spin, but it’s hard to swallow the idea that an announcement about dangerously polluted air is a “very good news story.”
Yes, I realize that Leavitt’s announcement emphasized the fact that his EPA was acknowledging the pollution problem. He wasn’t saying that the pollution is good; he was arguing that the administration’s new-found desire to address the problem is good. Fine.
But what Leavitt didn’t emphasize is that the EPA’s efforts on this issue are not only slow and half-hearted, they’re also completely at odds with White House policy. The LA Times had a good editorial about this today, insisting that the administration must “stop erecting roadblocks” that stunt progress towards cleaner air.
That’s especially true of the administration’s decision to file a friend-of-the-court brief against an important anti-pollution initiative in Southern California, where some of the worst particulate pollution occurs. The U.S. Supreme Court in April struck down a regional air quality rule that would have required fleet owners to buy cleaner engines when they replaced their dirty diesel vehicles. The White House could and should have left engine makers to mount their own attack, giving the state a better chance of winning.
Bush also rejected the idea of environmental reviews before allowing dirtier Mexican diesel trucks to drive U.S. roads. That decision, backed by the high court in June, would disproportionately pollute Southern California. The administration extols its “Clear Skies” initiative, stalled in Congress, as a pollution cutter even though it would leave more soot and smog in the air than the Clean Air Act, which it would replace. Under Bush, the EPA has made it easier for coal plants — the major source of fine particulates in the East — to avoid installing state-of-the-art pollution equipment when they renovate.
The EPA put forth a valuable air regulation in May, when it announced tough pollution standards for construction vehicles and other non-road diesel engines. Because those engines are now unregulated, the rules will make a real difference in the long term. But diesels last decades, and it will take about 25 years to replace most of them.
The EPA sees this long-term schedule and is perfectly satisfied.
“There is always a desire to move faster, but the truth is, this is faster,” Leavitt told reporters.
No, it’s not.
“This is about defining areas in the country that have the problems and being able to set up the solutions,” said John Balbus, who directs Environmental Defense’s health program. “With particulates, there are many cases where the technology exists to solve the problem today, but the solutions are not being implemented until the next generation.”