Obama Withdraws Draft Rule Meant to Tighten Ozone Standards

As Louisville suffers a string of bad air quality days due to high ozone levels, the Obama Administration has announced that it’s withdrawing a proposal to strengthen the nation’s ozone standard.President Barack Obama has asked Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson to withdraw a draft proposal that would tighten theOzone National Ambient Air Quality Standards. The proposal would have placed stricter regulations on polluters and required major environmental upgrades for most to comply with the Clean Air Act.In a statement, Mr. Obama said his administration was committed to protecting public health and the environment, but he decided the new ozone standard would create regulatory uncertainty in uncertain economic times.The announcement was simultaneously hailed and panned by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who said the Obama Administration needs to take similar steps back with other regulatory moves.