Adding to the Obama administration’s mounting heap of
regulations, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed
Friday new air quality standards to curb the purportedly fatal
repercussions of soot emissions. In reducing the emission of
such particles, which environmentalists say are one of the most
hazardous air pollutants, oil refiners and large manufacturers
will be forced to invest in costly pollution-reduction upgrades.
Measuring one-thirteenth the width of a strand of human hair,
these fine particles are generally diffused through activities
such as wood-burning and vehicle emissions, which can allegedly
cause heart and respiratory problems when entering the
bloodstream. Environmental groups and other proponents of the
regulation — which is set to be finalized by December 14 — say
the effort would produce countless benefits for both the economy
and general public health. The regulation would institute a
maximum allowable cap for soot emissions in between 12 and 13
micrograms per cubic meter of air.