Photo by Billy Hathorn
The new Biden-Harris EPA air quality rules introduced from 2021-2024 will save Americans $253 billion annually, save 202,632 lives and prevent 100 million asthma attacks by 2050, according to a new analysis of the Environmental Protection Network (EPN).
The analysis focuses on a review of sixteen major air pollution regulations implemented by the EPA over the past four years, summarizing their total environmental and economic effects.
Among these rules, the total amount of benefits is surprising. EPN reports that the 202,632 lives saved by these standards in 2050 would be enough to fill a row of highway buses from Philadelphia to New York City. And the fact that 107 million asthma attacks have been avoided means fewer missed work and school appointments and less crowded emergency rooms and doctors' offices.
In terms of costs, the $253 billion in savings includes regulatory costs. Regulatory costs are on the order of $50 billion a year, with benefits of $303 billion per year. A 6:1 ratio of benefits to costs is very high.
The total benefits calculated by 2050 are in the billions of dollars. And thanks to the Justice40 management program, many of these benefits will be seen by underserved communities.
EPN says the numbers in its analysis may be understated, because it focuses only on the health and climate benefits of better air quality, ignoring other work the EPA has done on “toxic chemicals, clean water and other environmental threats.” This analysis is for levels of air pollution such as smokestack and chimney pollution.
The EPA often leaves out certain health benefits that are difficult to quantify, meaning that the cost-benefit ratio can be improved further if those are calculated.
We've reported on many of the laws included in this analysis before, such as the EPA's EPA rule, which will save Americans $100 billion a year alone even though it's less inclined to the original proposal, and is the strongest of all. truck pollution law.
EPN points out that these laws have been popular, with broad support from the public, environmental groups, health organizations, labor unions, and even business organizations. Most of the EPA's major policy initiatives, such as those in the power industry, tailings and tailings pollution, receive public support of 70-80% when polled.
These gains have been achieved despite frequent attacks by an ideology-driven US “Supreme” Court that has shown little interest in following the law. Not only did the court tell the EPA that it can't regulate hazardous emissions from coal plants because the Clean Air Act doesn't (even though the Clean Air Act makes the EPA responsible for regulating hazardous emissions), it also superseded the Clean Air Act. the opinions of untrained judges, bought a place before those of expert scientists in this incredible stupidity. Loper Bright an idea that would overturn the Chevron doctrine.
The progress is also impressive given the damage done to the EPA from 2017-2020. By then, nearly 700 scientists had left the EPA, after their work was sidelined in favor of the ideology-driven ideas of political appointees instead of sound scientific methods.
And there is every reason to believe that this kind of damage can be done again under a future republican administration.
Climate and health savings are under attack by the 2025 Project
EPN points out that these good laws are under attack from industry groups (like trucking and oil companies trying to sue to stop trucking pollution laws, despite their huge benefits), and political efforts like Project 2025.
Project 2025 is the latest in a four-pronged set of recommendations prepared for Republican presidential candidates by the right-wing think tank The Heritage Foundation. Among other dystopian goals, it wants to completely empty the power of the EPA to do work like the one above, and to roll back the benefits from the above rules.
The three-term Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump, endorsed Project 2025 back in 2022. And in 2017, The Heritage Foundation boasted that action had been taken on many of their recommendations. So we can expect that Republican administrations will seek action on many of the proposed repeals.
Jeremy Symons, Senior Advisor of the EPN said that Project 2025 “creates a serious risk to the process that has been done to attract the best minds to the EPA,” after previous challenges of staff after the migration of scientists to keep the Republic in place. The White House.
EPN provided bipartisan recommendations to the EPA in 2020 outlining how the agency can “reset its path,” though there is still progress to be made to repair the agency from the damage done.
Rob Wolcott, chairman of the EPN board and former senior adviser to the EPA's Office of Research and Development, praised the EPA's efforts to rebuild the agency but pointed out that “it takes more time and effort and money to build an agency than to quickly degrade it. it.”
Electrek's Take
Look, we here Electrek covers EVs, renewables and other environmental issues every day. We see the headlines, we follow all the developments, we track who is pushing what.
And there was a it stands out the difference in the type of reporting we had to do during the last 8 years. Although there are many stupid decisions that reach everywhere, the kind of progress we have seen in the last 4 years is night and day better than the destructive efforts of the last 4 years.
And from our work here Electrek (and, indeed, as living creatures on earth) focusing on and advocating for clean transportation, and a clean environment, we deserve to bring that information to you in a clear way.
We make no secret of our commitment here to clean air and water, and a more efficient grid and transportation system. However, this prejudice is not necessarily prejudice if it exists or should be shared by all living beings on this planet.
Clean air is a good cause – and it is which is important in our lives too, as nothing else matters if we don't have the basic necessities of life (air, water, shelter and so on). It is the basis of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs all over the world.
So, when we describe the progress that has been made in the last 4 years, and the economic and environmental damage that has been done in the last 4 years (at the behest of coal and oil executives who were doing it to protect the polluting industry they bought), we have hope. that this emphasizes the meaning of the decision that the American people will make in November.
There are too many people who believe that there is little difference between administrations on environmental protection issues, or who feel that it is absurd that any party would oppose clean air and water. But there is clear evidence that shows the current and recent history of republics that impose more pollution and higher costs. And the analysis above shows that the difference is clear.
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