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"i1AR-13-97 THU ]7t59 RKH PUBLIC RELATIONS FAX NO. 3032966C92 P,02/02 Thursday, March 13,1997 ', THE DENVER FOST . , . WdliamDeaoSingleton,Chairman ' - .' Ryan McKihben, Puhlisher, ChfefLxecutive Oflicer THE Dennu A. &It1en, Edltor, Executive VP Jeanette Chavez, Associate Editor - , , DENVER ~eO'Brien,EditaroftheEditorialPage - Kinc MarAonald, Executive VP, GeneralManager POST Frederick H. Anderson, VPFlnance James eanman, VPHumen Resourcar Thomas J. Botelho, VPMarkelkep. ' Fnunded 1d92 Frank Dlxon, VPOpereNons '" SteveHesse,VPp'rculatlon ' - ' NtenJ.,Wallere,VPAdvertis,iny Cosfs of clean air matter P resident Clinton, in defending his unorthodox political fund-raising, techniques, has said they were made necessary because he had to stop last year's Republican juggernaut. Calling the Bob Dole campaign for pres- ident a juggernaut (an overpowering de• structive forcel suggests that the presi- dent has suffered some short-term memory loss or, worse, believes Ameri- cans have become loopy, II Clinton would like to see a real over- powering destructive force at work, he might want to drop in on his own Environ- mental Protection Agency and see what it is doing to impose new clean air standards for ozone and particulates. AL xNIGHT ' ad ozone and partiG- ulate matter rules, we urge the EPA to reaffirm the current standards, conduct additional monitor- ing of particulate matter and ... air low our states to complete action on the ambitious clean air standards that are already in place .. before embark• ing on entirely new and costly undertak- The EPA is on a panic schedule that These sentiments, coming from Demo- would make the proposed new standards " crats, can't be easily dismissed as the raci- final in late June. This despite the fact the ings of people who don't care about tbe agency has solemnly said it could not environment. "make sound and legally defensible d_eci- The simple fact Is that by the EPA's sions" on this timetable. ' own accounting, the costs of the ozone Tuesday was the last day for putilic regulation will far outstrip any health comment on these standards, which when benefits that might be produced. TJtgEPA fully enforced would throw hundreds of Is trvinv_ of course_ to dnetor t7+esa mrm-* communities into "nonattalnment status." hera yo thev hetter, That's fine. What The Colorado Association of Commerce is not so fine is that the agency is lnterfer- and Industry, one of the organizations to ing in the diesemination of information file comments, said the proposed new that ought to be a part of this public de- "standards would put all metro Denver into bate. The Office of Management and Bud- nonattainment" for particulates and get In the Clinton administration has done czoae. Under existing standards for these an analysis that showa juat how wildly out compounds, Denver hasn't been in vtola• of whack the costs are, but the EPA has tion for a number of years. In addition, for now blocked the publication of those CACI projects that Garfield, Routt, Sum- figm.es The EPA says that the analysis mit, Archuleta, San Miguel and Weld would be "very damaging" to the agency'9 counties would be in violation. By EPA a effort to Issue new standards. , count, 167 counties in the U.S., including • some with as few as 10,000 residents, will~re else but in the inner circles of thn be unable to meet particulate standards. Clinton administration does one agency nuua wrs aueaesra ra wut we ewuuarua .~~ have reached the point of absurdity, in The biggest outrage of all ia that the aci ~"- that even counties with very little human entific basis for the new standard on par- density, can't meet the new benchmarks, tieulates of less than 2.5 mtcrons in size is . Thankfully, a number of groups are ob• shaky. Scientific advisory committees jecting. For example, five prominent were split on what the standards should Democrats in tbe U.S. Senate, including he. Data on current levels of such parti- Robert E. Byrd of West Virginia, John cles is lacking or incomplete in some com- Glenn of Ohio and Chuck Robb of Virginia, manitie;s, Nor is It clear whether comtpu- have written a strong letter to the EPA nllies, newly found to' be In essentially asking the agency to call off nonattainmeot, could ever get out from implementation of the new standards al- under the regulator's thumb. If Clinton together. still hungers to atop juggernauts, he can The live concluded, "Because ot the a)g• begin by aiowjag hfa EPA director. nlfleant aneerfalnty surroundlny the costs, ,y KNaht fs s nPoVar Pout oMwMlel and WnerW wIP beneftta and lmpacts of the EPA s prapoa- er, get to suppress information from another7