Today’s clash between the Bush administration and congressional Democrats over the regulation of ozone is reminiscent of the 1997 battle between the Clinton administration and the Republicans who then controlled Congress. Back then, congressional Republicans unsuccessfully tried to pressure President Clinton into killing an EPA proposal to tighten restrictions on ozone, which is caused when motor-vehicle exhaust and industrial chemicals mix on sunny days. Ozone, which is a greenhouse gas, can cause asthma, chest pain, and emphysema.
During the 1997 debate, the Republican-led House Commerce Committee—now known as Energy and Commerce—held a series of hearings critical of the agency’s position on ozone. The committee’s campaign against EPA was orchestrated in part by the panel’s general counsel, Charles Ingebretson, and its air-pollution counsel, Robert Meyers.
Fast-forward to today’s ozone debate. In early March, EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson adopted an ozone standard that is widely considered weaker than that recommended by his agency’s independent panel of scientific advisers. Hill Democrats have responded by accusing EPA of not doing enough to protect public health.
Who assisted Johnson in reaching his ozone decision? His chief of staff is Charles Ingebretson. And EPA’s air and radiation office is led by Robert Meyers.
This article appeared in the Saturday, April 12, 2008 edition of National Journal.
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