By Staff
WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, hailed May 8's redesignation by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of 16 Michigan counties to attainment of the national health-based eight-hour ozone standard.
For the last several years, Upton has been working to insure the communities of southwest Michigan are not penalized for dirty air blowing across Lake Michigan. In August 2005, President Bush signed comprehensive energy legislation into law that included Upton's amendment requiring EPA to study the effects of pollution blowing across Lake Michigan and its impact on southwest Michigan. Although Allegan, Kalamazoo, Van Buren, Berrien and Cass counties were designated as violating clean air standards in 2004, Upton's amendment spared those counties from costly sanctions pending the completion of the EPA study, which is expected later this year.
"Today's news is an important first step in insuring our communities are not penalized for pollution generated hundreds of miles away," said Upton. "For years our communities in southwestern Michigan have been in the EPA's crosshairs – and I am thrilled with today's redesignation. We've been able to spare our communities from costly penalties since the energy bill was signed into law in 2005, and today's announcement is further evidence that southwest Michigan will not be unfairly punished for air pollution that blows across the lake from such cities as Chicago, Milwaukee and Gary. I am confident that upon completion of the demonstration study, it will (also) be crystal Allegan County which was not redesignated today, is not responsible" for high ozone.