AUSTIN, Texas (Legal Newsline) – Ken Paxton, attorney general for the state of Texas, announced a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over the new ozone standards rule.
New changes brought about by the EPA could cause serious financial issues for the Texas economy, according to the state’s attorney general’s office. Paxton alleges that the EPA lowered the ozone standard placed on states to an inappropriate and unrealistic standard based on flawed science. It claims the changes to the EPA’s National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) are not likely to provide a health benefit.
“The EPA’s new ozone rule is not supported by scientific data,” Paxton said. “Areas of the country that fail to comply with these impossible standards will be subject to costly new regulations that will harm our economy and kill jobs. Texas has proven that we can reduce ambient ozone concentrations without stifling growth, and my office will continue to defend our state from the EPA’s harmful and overreaching regulations.”
Paxton’s office argues that the new ozone rule, which lowers the NAAQS level from 75 to 70 parts per billion, will be impossible to comply with in certain areas due to ozone levels outside of regulatory control. Paxton’s office further claims that Texas has proved it can clean its air without destroying the energy sector, noting that the state has improved its economy for decades while bringing down the nitrogen oxide and ozone levels.