Proposal to curb U.S. ozone emissions coming soon

On Wednesday, the Obama administration will likely release details of a new regulation that will curb ozone emissions.

Ozone causes smog and is linked to asthma, cardiovascular disease, and premature death. The proposed regulation would lower the current threshold for ozone pollution from 75 parts per million to a range of 65 to 70 parts per million, sources familiar with the plan told The New York Times. It will primarily target smog from power plants and factories, particularly those in the Midwest.

Environmental groups are asking for the number to go even lower, down to 60 parts per million. "For the past several years, the public has been living with a false sense of security about whether the air they're breathing is safe," William Becker, executive director of the National Association of Clean Air Agencies, told the Times. "Ozone is not only killing people, but causing tens of millions of people to get sick every day."

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