On Thursday, June 21, the U.S. EPA announced proposed revisions to the federal health standards for ozone. Though the proposal would make the ozone standard slightly more stringent, it doesn't go as far as recommended by the EPA's science advisors. It also leaves open the possibility of leaving the standard as is.

The announcement received nationwide news coverage, including a front page article in the Houston Chronicle.

"Based on the current science, I have concluded that the current standard is not sufficient to protect the public health," EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson said. "By strengthening the standard, the EPA is keeping our clean-air momentum moving into the future."

No one was happy with EPA's announcement, including industry...

Industry groups said there's no reason to adopt a new standard because there is still a long way to go to meet the current standard. The National Petrochemical and Refiners Association said the current standard "is working as intended and air quality is improving."

TCEQ...

"It's early in the process, but standards at the low end of the ranges the EPA is talking about would throw most, if not all, of Texas' mid-size to major cities into non-attainment," the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality wrote in a prepared statement.

and "environmentalists"...

Meg Healy, acting executive director for the Galveston-Houston Association for Smog Prevention, said lowered ozone levels and a booming economy warn against "gloom-and-doom scenarios." She criticized TCEQ for suggesting the state couldn't do more to reach the proposed reductions.

However you define the standard, one thing is clear - Houston is not attaining it. It has been more than 30 years since our first deadline (in 1975), and Governor Rick Perry just asked for an extension (to 2018). Texas should quit making excuses and aggressively pursue the pollution control strategies that will reduce ozone to levels that protect public health.