Washington, D.C. – Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairman Ralph Hall (R-TX) today released the following statement after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed new national air quality standards that would mandate reduced levels of fine-particle matter:
While I look forward to reviewing this proposal in more detail, I am concerned that EPA is pursuing yet another costly, job-killing regulation at a time when the American economy can least afford it. I am also troubled that this rule appears to be based on secret data that EPA has refused to make public despite repeated requests from scientific experts and Members of Congress.
“We are all for clean air, and according to EPA’s own data, particulate matter emissions have plummeted 55 percent in the last decade. However, in advancing this regulation, I fear the Obama Administration has failed to make the case that the existing standard is not sufficient or that the underlying science has changed. Rather, the decision appears to further demonstrate EPA’s regulate-at-all-costs mentality. I look forward to discussing this issue when Administrator Jackson testifies before the Science, Space and Technology Committee later this month.”