Congressional delegation urges EPA to say Baton Rouge meets ozone standards

The three members of the Capital Region Congressional delegation have submitted a letter to the EPA administrator, urging her to formally redesignate Baton Rouge as meeting ozone standards. The letter to EPA head Lisa Jackson, signed by U.S. Sens. Mary Landrieu and David Vitter and U.S. Rep. Bill Cassidy, says Baton Rouge has met the eight-hour ozone standard since 2008. Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality officials submitted a redesignation request to the EPA in August, saying the region meets current ozone standards. But the letter says EPA officials have not initiated a review of the request in the seven months since it was submitted and are asking the LDEQ for more documentation. In the case of several cities, such as Atlanta, Detroit and St. Louis, the EPA was able to take final action on ozone redesignation within seven months of receiving the request, the letter notes. This uncertainty is hampering growth in the Capital Region by serving as a disincentive for businesses to move into the area and causing companies to set money aside to cover potential penalties. “The EPA’s failure to act continues to hamper economic growth and kill jobs, even though Baton Rouge has been compliant with EPA standards since 2008. I hope the EPA acts quickly to mitigate this situation,” says Cassidy. Read the full letter here.