Costa Applauds Withdrawal of Burdensome Environmental Regulation

Costa: Commonsense and good science have won the day

Fresno, Calif. - Congressman Jim Costa (D-Fresno) released a statement following the announcement that President Barack Obama directed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to withdraw proposed new regulations on air quality standards for ozone. The draft regulations would have rewritten the current ozone standards put in place by the Bush Administration in 2008 and are due to be updated in 2013, pursuant to the Clean Air Act.

"Today's announcement makes clear that President Obama and EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson have finally heard the concerns of rural communities across the country and particularly in the San Joaquin Valley. Administrator Jackson saw first-hand that our farming communities are working hard to abide by current ozone standards and that a rewrite of these regulations would only hamstring our economy and way of life when she visited with Valley farmers and growers in March. Administrator Jackson has also seen our success in improving our air quality through a series of initiatives, including the retrofit of old farm equipment, school buses, and trucks with funding that I fought and will continue to fight to bring to our Valley," Costa said.

"Reducing unnecessary regulatory burdens are central to growing our struggling economy. I applaud the President and the Administrator for allowing commonsense and good science to win the day."