SE Wyoming News

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Senate Western Caucus Chair Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) has expressed her concern over the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) announcement to narrow its final particulate matter (PM2.5) national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS) from 12 to 9 micrograms per cubic meter. Lummis states that this new standard would be devastating to many industries throughout the west and could potentially threaten millions of jobs.

Lummis criticizes the Biden administration, stating that they will stop at nothing to pander to climate change activists, even if it means disregarding the impact on Wyoming and western workers. She believes that this new and unattainable air quality standard will limit development across the country and sideline the U.S. economy, especially at a time when the national debt has reached alarming heights.

Expressing her disappointment, Lummis encourages the administration to scale back this unfair attack on American industry. She believes that rushing to move forward with this unrealistic standard will have severe repercussions. Lummis had previously joined Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and 21 other colleagues in urging the EPA to rescind its proposed PM2.5 national ambient air quality standard in September 2023.

Lummis also introduced the National Ambient Air Quality Standards Implementation Act of 2023, which aims to improve the processes for the EPA to revise current NAAQS and for states to implement those standards.

The EPA's decision to narrow the PM2.5 NAAQS has sparked concerns among industry experts and lawmakers, who fear that it will have detrimental effects on the economy and employment. Critics argue that the EPA should consider the feasibility and impact of such stringent standards before implementing them.