EPA administrator Michael Regan said in a letter to a panel of science advisers dated Friday that the agency would start from the beginning on its assessment of ground-level ozone standards.
“After carefully reviewing the advice of the independent scientific panel, I am convinced that a full and complete review of the ozone [standards] is warranted to ensure a thorough and transparent assessment of the latest science,” Regan said in the statement.
The agency first announced in 2021 that it would conduct a review of the lack of new standards under the Trump administration.
The delay “begs the question of how many deaths, how many asthma attacks, how many people with heart conditions are going to come out because this decision is now going to be delayed potentially years," said Raúl García, vice president of policy and legislation at Earthjustice. García called the decision "very disappointing."
Read more in a full report at TheHill.com.