U.S. EPA's recent attempt to unilaterally develop prescriptive implementation strategies for California resulted in the untenable Federal Implementation Plan which was ultimately nullified by Congress. U.S. EPA must implement future standards in a way that takes economic impacts into account. U.S. EPA should follow California's common-sense example and develop flexible policies that allow states to pursue air quality progress in parallel with economic opportunities. As indicated earlier, California has maintained clean air standards that are more health protective than the current federal standards. Finally, it is critical that the results of ongoing research be incorporated into the implementation process for new standards.
Scientific evidence supports the adoption of more health-protective national standards.
U.S. EPA should adopt new standards based on this information, and take the necessary actions to fill the current knowledge gaps in an expeditious fashion.