The Metro Council unanimously sided with the interests of industry on Wednesday night, when it voted for a resolution to formally oppose stricter air quality standards proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The proposed National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ground-level ozone would lower air quality requirements from 75 parts per billion to at least 70 ppb, or even as low as 60 ppb. The Metro Council resolution is non-binding and amounts to symbolic opposition to the proposed standards.
Proponents of the resolution who spoke at the meeting included representatives with the Baton Rouge Area Chamber and the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, who said stricter standards would lead to job loss, a decline in gross state product and an increase in utility bills.
Kathy Wascom with the Louisiana Environmental Action Network spoke against the resolution, saying stricter standards could improve health of Baton Rouge residents and increase jobs in the environmental technology sector. Wascom also said the proposal diverges from the pro-health agenda the council typically supports, like the Complete Streets policy up for a vote at the Nov. 25 council meeting.
“We can’t put [pedestrians and cyclists] into an area where the air they breathe is bad for them,” Wascom said.
Another opponent pointed out that a study produced by LABI, which proponents drew their numbers from, would not be accepted as a scientific report and that council members should not rely on it to make decisions.
Though councilwomen Ronnie Edwards and Chauna Banks-Daniel voiced concern about the health of their constituents, they ultimately said there wasn’t enough evidence to firmly support either side and the resolution ended up being approved unanimously. Both said they were especially concerned about how any increase in utility costs would affect constituents in the parts of the parish they represent.
Also Wednesday, the Metro Council approved a measure to increase the pay cap on a contract with attorney Murphy Foster III for legal services in relation to the case involving dismissed Parish Attorney Mary Roper. Foster’s contract cap was raised from $17,500 to $50,000. https://www.businessreport.com/article/council-considers-raising-attorney-contract-limit-costs-roper-case-skyrocket
The East Baton Rouge Parish Library Board of Control also won approval Wednesday to buy a roughly 29,150-square-foot office building at 3434 North Blvd. for $1.15 million. The library system will use the building to house its Outreach Services Center. —Kelly Connelly
