You never would have expected the Supreme Court’s Decision on Pollution.

This week, the Supreme Court overturned this landmark EPA air pollution rule, dealing a blow to the Obama administration’s plan on air quality.

In 2011, the EPA published a series of new air quality requirements regarding acceptable levels of pollution output emitted by coal-fired power plants.

The EPA stated that it had followed the exact same method of cost-benefit analysis that it has used for over 25 years in setting environmental & pollution guidelines which is why the ruling was unexpected.

Public Health a Primary Consideration

In its analysis, the EPA estimated that the benefits of the new standards would far outweigh the costs. Benefits seen by the EPA included reductions in hospital visits due to asthma, as many as 11,000 premature deaths due to pollution exposure, fewer heart attacks and even fewer instances of bronchitis. All of these conditions cost the public billions of dollars per year healthcare expenses.

The EPA determined that benefits of between $37 billion and $90 billion per year far exceed the increased costs of $9.6 billion on the industry. However, industry experts countered that measurable benefits would only add up to as little as $4-6 million per year.

Costs Not Adequately Considered

In its review, the Supreme Court believes that the EPA did not adequately consider the costs of implementing the changes and that the EPA’s focus on public health benefits was not sufficient justification for its new regulatory requirements.

However, while the decision deals a blow to environmental and public health proponents, EPA rules were announced over 4 years ago and many of the companies impacted have already implemented the changes in anticipation of looming compliance deadlines.

You Can Reduce Your Exposure to Pollution

Regardless of whether the EPA produces new guidelines and whether regulations increase or ease, in the short term, some steps on combating pollution must be taken at home.

Do you live in an area where pollution is a concern or are you experiencing health symptoms that could be caused by pollution?

Chat with on of our air quality specialists to determine if an air purifier for pollution could help with some of your symptoms.