EPA Chief Critiques NY Times on Air Quality Report
On Monday, Lee Zeldin, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), took issue with a claim made by the New York Times. The article suggested that the EPA no longer factors in “lives saved” when developing air pollution standards.
The New York Times reported that internal emails indicated the Trump-era EPA intends to stop calculating the “health benefits” associated with reducing pollutants like fine particulate matter and ozone while regulating significant industries.
The piece stated, “For decades, the EPA has used estimates of avoided asthma attacks and premature deaths to justify clean air rules. That practice is no longer in effect.”
Zeldin responded firmly, labeling the headline as “fake news” and emphasizing that lives saved would still be considered in regulatory measures. He expressed frustration with the Times, remarking, “Not only is this headline false, but the Times already knows that the EPA continues to consider lives saved when setting pollution limits. Their commitment to undermining journalism is remarkable.”
Interestingly, the Times pointed out that the EPA had previously said it would still consider health implications but would refrain from assigning a financial value to them.
An EPA spokesperson clarified, “EPA is still evaluating the human health impacts of PM2.5 and ozone emissions as we have always done. Just because we don’t monetize doesn’t mean we ignore health effects,” further reinforcing the agency’s position.
In defense of their report, a spokesman for the New York Times articulated, “Our findings, based on internal EPA documents, indicated that the agency has ceased calculating health benefits linked to reducing fine particulate matter and ozone pollution in crafting air regulations. An EPA representative didn’t refute this when we sought their input, so our report stands accurate.”
Amid these discussions, Zeldin has been focused on overturning various environmental regulations from prior administrations. Notably, he has announced intentions to repeal the 2009 Endangerment Research Regulation, which recognized greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane as accelerators of climate change, posing threats to human life. The EPA historically established stringent regulations across different sectors based on this “findings of danger,” which many business leaders argue jeopardize their operations.
