Current Soot Standards Working, Proposed EPA Changes Jeopardize Highway Safety, ARTBA Says
(Washington, D.C.)—A proposal from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to tighten particular matter (PM) standards amounts to “moving the goal posts in the middle of the game” and could jeopardize state highway safety improvements. That was the message of Nick Goldstein, American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) assistant general counsel, at an August 25 EPA Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee hearing.
Goldstein told committee members that further tightening of PM (or “soot”) standards would jeopardize highway funding to state and local agencies by placing these areas out of compliance with the federal Clean Air Act (CAA). Agencies out of compliance are at risk of losing federal highway funding, which supports projects designed to improve road safety, reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality—a move that would have unintended consequences and be contrary to other public policies.
“Nearly 36,000 people die on U.S. highways each year and many federally-funded highway improvements are designed specifically to address safety issues. As such, imposing new PM standards that lead to highway improvements being denied could be counterproductive to improving public health,” Goldstein said.
Goldstein cited EPA’s own data showing the transportation sector has significantly reduced PM levels by 50 percent since the 1970’s—without tighter federal standards. The decline has occurred despite overwhelming growth in the U.S. economy, population, vehicle miles traveled and energy consumption, he noted.
The association urged EPA to give states and localities time to comply with existing requirements before developing more stringent regulations
Established in 1902, ARTBA has been the transportation construction’s primary advocate on environmental and regulatory matters in the Nation’s Capital.