House Passes Bill to Shield States from Job Killing EPA Ozone Regulation, Includes Gosar Amendment to Incorporate Wildfire Impact

Statement

Today, U.S. Congressman Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-04) released the following statement after the House successfully passed H.R. 4775, the Ozone Standards Implementation Act by a vote of 234 to 177, which included a Gosar amendment that ensures a study on ozone formation in the underlying bill analyzes the relative contribution from wildfires:

"Rather than allowing time for states to implement the 2008 ozone regulation, the EPA moved the goalposts and is seeking to unilaterally implement a new standard that the agency projected in 2010 would cost our economy $19 to $25 billion annually. To make matters worse, the 70 ppb standard is not attainable in 9 of the 10 counties in Arizona that measure ozone levels and even the Grand Canyon National Park would be in nonattainment. This unrealistic regulation, not based on science, will force companies to close their doors and kill countless jobs throughout the country.

"Furthermore, my amendment included in H.R. 4775 is an important step for encouraging federal land management agencies to adopt a forward-thinking, active management strategy that combats dangerous wildfires before they get started. Data released from NASA a few years ago concluded that one catastrophic wildfire can emit more carbon emissions in a few days than total vehicle emissions in an entire state over the course of a year. My commonsense amendment requires that the study on ozone formation in the underlying bill analyze the relative contribution from wildfires. Having sound science on the extent to which ozone formation from wildfire emissions occurs will hopefully lead to a more proactive approach for managing our nation's forests."

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