DENVER, October 1, 2015 – Congress must move legislation to slow EPA’s rush to further tighten regulations on ozone that could be the costliest regulation ever imposed on Coloradoans, even as current standards are already improving air quality, according to Colorado Petroleum Council (CPC) Executive Director Tracee Bentley.

“Current ozone standards protect public health without further stifling jobs or harming our economy,” Bentley said.  “Colorado’s air is getting cleaner as we implement the existing standards, but the EPA ignored science by changing the standards before allowing current standards to work. It’s time for Congress to step in and fix this unnecessary and costly regulation to protect Colorado consumers.” 

Ground level ozone in the U.S. declined by 18 percent between 2000 and 2013, according to EPA data. 

“Further tightening the standards will not improve air quality any faster, but new regulations will hurt jobs and the economy by imposing unachievable emission reduction requirements on virtually every part of the nation,” Bentley said. “Even pristine areas with no industrial activity such as national parks would be out of attainment. Operating under such stringent requirements could stifle new investment across the nation.”

New ozone regulations could be the most expensive regulation ever and could cost Colorado  as much as $19.5 billion per year while placing more than ten thousand jobs at risk, according to a NERA economic analysis.

New restrictions on business and investment could impact job growth in countless municipalities across Colorado, under EPA’s new standard of 70 parts per billion, according to a recent API analysis of EPA data.

The CPC is a division of API, which represents all segments of America’s oil and natural gas industry. Its more than 625 members produce, process, and distribute most of the nation’s energy. The industry also supports 9.8 million U.S. jobs and 8 percent of the U.S. economy.