Arizona legislative leaders and the state Chamber of Commerce and Industry are suing the Biden administration over newly announced air-quality standards.
Senate President Warren Petersen and House Speaker Ben Toma say the move by the Environmental Protection Agency may be unattainable for some counties and will have negative impacts to Arizona’s economy by creating financial burdens on small businesses and limiting investment.
The EPA finalized its "Reconsideration of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter" last month. The new standards more tightly regulate particulate matter including smoke, vehicle exhaust and industrial and power-plant emissions.
The agency says the new rule is designed to "protect millions of Americans from harmful and costly health impacts, such as heart attacks and premature death. Particle or soot pollution is one of the most dangerous forms of air pollution, and an extensive body of science links it to a range of serious and sometimes deadly illnesses."
Petersen says a majority of particulate pollution in Arizona comes from wildfires, which the EPA should focus on mitigating instead.