Smog kills. It’s a fact.

Emissions from factories, power plants, autos, planes and everything else that spews “volatile organic compounds” get boiled by the sun to form a big ozone stew that perpetually wafts about us, causing and/or exacerbating millions of cases of lung disease.

To help reduce smog-caused health problems, the EPA just proposed stricter ozone standards of no more than 0.070 ppm, from the current 0.075 ppm.

Big business is, predictably, up in arms about this. They’re saying it’ll cost too much to comply and won’t really help public health (despite the fact that saying reducing exposure to something harmful is not beneficial flies in the face of logic).

It WILL cost a lot. Up to $90 billion, the EPA says. And guess where big biz will recoup a lot of that $90 billion – yep, they’ll pass it down to me and you, in the form of everything from higher electric bills to more expensive gas. But what price do you put on your health? What price do you put on quality of life for your kids, and your kids’ kids? Plus, the EPA says the benefits – in lowered healthcare costs – may surpass that $90 billion.

This decision just makes too much sense. I wouldn’t trust anyone who doesn’t think it’s a good idea.

Give the EPA your own 2 cents – they’re taking public comment for the next 60 days, with public hearings scheduled (in or near Captivate markets, btw): Feb. 2 in Arlington, Va. and in Houston, Texas; and Feb. 4 in Sacramento, Calif.

Labels: EPA smog ruling, ozone standards, smog standards