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Public comment on EPA’s new rules for hazardous air

The exhaust from the boilers of industrial and commercial buildings, and incinerators can be particularly poisonous; consistent inhalation can lead to heart and lung disease and cancer.

Today is the deadline for submitting comments on EPA’s proposed actions to rein in these toxic emissions. Here are the comments we sent in today.

EPA’s proposals make significant progress to remove these dangerous fumes from our air. But before it finalizes new standards, the agency should fine-tune its policy choices to ensure the optimal results are obtained at the lowest cost. There is room in the cost-benefit analysis of these proposed rules to allow for more stringent standards that would get more bang for the taxpayers’ buck.

In addition, EPA should implement periodic energy audits and cost-effective conservation measures, choose a longer time horizon and analyze more carefully key regulatory alternatives, including switching to cleaner fuels.

The sooner these unhealthy emissions are controlled, the more lives are saved and the more economic benefits are awarded to the American public. So while these proposals are a good start, EPA should continue to tweak the rules until the right balance is struck.