Obama Ozone Rule: New Advertising Campaign Targets EPA's Proposed Regulations

The National Association of Manufacturers launched a multi-million dollar advertising campaign Tuesday against the Obama administration’s proposal to tighten environmental regulations for controlling ozone, the Hill reported. The business group charged that under the current ozone standards set in 2008, ozone levels were down 20 percent over the last decade.

The group -- the largest manufacturer organization in the U.S. -- pointed out in its new ads that various national parks had more pollution than the proposed limits, adding that the proposed ozone restrictions would put areas such as Yellowstone, Mesa Verde and Acadia out of compliance.

"Under new ozone rules out of Washington, these national treasures would actually violate clean air laws,” the narrator in a television advertisement said. “If national parks can’t comply, how can your community?”

The Environmental Protection Agency proposed to lower the current ozone limit of 75 parts per billion to between 65 to 70 parts per billion. By restricting ozone, the main component behind of smog and created by various pollutants caused by burning fossil fuels, there would be benefits up to $38 billion with costs up to $16.6 billion. However, the National Association of Manufactures said a study predicted that the new ozone regulations would cost $1.1 trillion.

The advertising campaign -- comprised of mainly television and digital ads, but also placements in newspapers -- is expected to at first focus on the Washington D.C. area before expanding to other states.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce also began its latest lobbying effort last Wednesday to roll back the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed ozone rules, and argued that the rule would be the costliest of any federal program. The American Petroleum Institute also said that it was beginning a new campaign to inform local and state governments about the negative effects of the proposed regulations.

In addition, the Chamber released a study on how the regulations would negatively affect transportation and infrastructure growth, the Washington Examiner reported, saying the new regulations would put states out of compliance with the Clean Air Act, meaning the Environmental Protection Agency could potentially restrict federal highway funding to those areas and disrupt infrastructure projects.

The Environmental Protection Agency was under a court order to set a final ozone regulation by Oct. 1.