Trump's shifting ozone rules could save Utah money — or allow more pollution
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Rules limiting ozone pollution are shifting under the Trump administration right as Utah faces potential federal punishments for the state's notoriously poor air quality.
Why it matters: Utah could be spared costly penalties under some of the most stringent rules — but it also could lose incentives to clean up the air.
Driving the news: During a visit to the state this month, EPA head Lee Zeldin announced the agency would change its ozone limits to make it easier for local and state officials to prove that international pollution is contributing to high ozone levels.
The big picture: Officials have argued for years that much of the state's ozone pollution is not actually from here, saying it wafts in from other states and countries — especially China — or is "naturally occurring."
State of play: The EPA in December ordered the state to submit a new pollution control plan for the northern Wasatch Front — the Salt Lake metro and most of the cities to its north — while ratcheting up its urgency rating for ozone levels.
- A week later the agency denied the state's request to extend the deadline for a new ozone control plan in the Uinta Basin, where pollution levels have long exceeded EPA limits.
The latest: This month's change will allow regions to show they would have attained the ozone standard if not for international emissions, Axios' Jessica Boehm reports from Phoenix — another place where ozone exceeds federal limits.
By the numbers: State officials say 80% of our ozone pollution is "background" — i.e., not actually caused by Utahns. Environmental groups have disputed that figure.
The other side: If the EPA relaxes its rules, officials here could dial back air pollution efforts, Piper Christian of Stewardship Utah told FOX 13 in April.
- "We just want to make sure these federal decisions … don't slow down the exciting and important work the state is doing to clean our air," Christian said.
Between the lines: Your lungs don't care where ozone comes from.
- Case in point: The EPA in December acknowledged geography and weather play roles in Utah's pollution levels but said the state still had to address it because those factors won't change and residents will remain at risk.
Flashback: In a 2016 presentation, the EPA argued that "there is no indication" that background ozone pollution alone "will prevent attainment" of the federal standards.