EPA Highlights

EPA Proposes Ozone Standards to Safeguard Americans from Air Pollution Why We Need Tougher Ozone Standards New Public Comment Period for National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Proposed Rule EPA Releases New Indoor Air Quality and Energy Efficiency Guidance for Schools EPA Proposes Ozone Standards to Safeguard Americans from Air Pollution Based on extensive recent scientific evidence about the harmful effects of ground-level ozone, also known as smog, EPA is proposing to strengthen air quality standards to better protect Americans' health and the environment. The agency proposes to decrease the current ozone standard of 75 parts per billion (ppb) to within a range of 65 to 70 ppb and will also take comment on setting the level as low as 60 ppb.  EPA estimates that the benefits of meeting the proposed standards will significantly outweigh the costs. Health benefits will be gained from avoiding asthma attacks, heart attacks, missed school days and premature deaths. EPA will issue the final ozone standards by October 1, 2015. Learn more about the proposal and how to comment here. http://go.usa.gov/6bDe Why We Need Tougher Ozone Standards For 44 years, EPA has defended the American people's right to breathe clean air by setting national air quality standards for common air pollutants. The Clean Air Act requires EPA to update air quality standards every five years, to ensure standards "protect public health with an adequate margin of safety" based on the latest scientific evidence.  Read EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy's op-ed on CNN.com about why we need tougher ozone standards to protect human health here. http://money.cnn.com/2014/11/26/news/economy/epa-stronger-ozone-standard/ Learn more about the proposal here. http://epa.gov/glo/ New Public Comment Period for National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Proposed Rule EPA is opening a new public comment period to collect additional comments and suggestions for the Clean Water Act National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Electronic Reporting Rule. The proposed rule requires electronic reporting of NPDES information rather than paper-based reports from permitted facilities that discharge to waters of the United States.  The new comment period is an opportunity for EPA to clarify any misunderstandings about the proposed rule and discuss possibilities for how EPA might modify the rule to address issues raised by stakeholders. Comments are due January 30, 2015.  Learn more about the proposed rule and how to comment here. http://go.usa.gov/6bf3 EPA Releases New Indoor Air Quality and Energy Efficiency Guidance for Schools EPA recently released the new Energy Savings Plus Health: Indoor Air Quality Guidelines for School Building Upgrades, a guidance document designed to help schools reduce their environmental impact and ensure clean air for their students. The guidelines highlight best practices for addressing 23 critical indoor air quality topics, including moisture and mold control; hazardous materials such as asbestos and lead; building products and materials; and heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.  Read Acting Associate Administrator Janet McCabe's blog post on how the guidelines can help schools improve air quality and energy efficiency here. http://go.usa.gov/6bK3 We encourage you to share the EPA Highlights eNewsletter with your colleagues.  To subscribe: https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USAEPA/subscriber/new?topic_id=USAEPA_439 Office of Public Engagement and Environmental Education  Office of the Administrator / U.S. Environmental Protection Agency  Tel 202-564-1785 / PublicEngagement@epa.gov   You can unsubscribe or update your subscriptions or e-mail address at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page. All you will need is your e-mail address. If you have any questions or problems, please e-mail subscriberhelp.govdelivery.com for assistance.  This service is provided to you at no charge by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.    This email was sent to k34101050@gmail.com using GovDelivery, on behalf of: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW · Washington DC 20460 · 202-564-4355

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