March 18

Suspicions that the White House inappropriately influenced the EPA´s latest ozone ruling has prompted Rep. Henry Waxman to investigate the situation.

The California Democrat has scheduled an April 10 hearing before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Invited witnesses are Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen Johnson and Susan Dudley, administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs at the White House´s Office of Management and Budget.

Johnson has insisted that a five-hour delay in announcing stricter ozone standards March 12 involved only the form in which the standard was presented, not undue influence from the Justice Department.

During the evening conference call last week, Johnson tightened ground level ozone standards modestly -- from 84 parts per billion to 75 ppb. The stricter limit applies to two types of ozone measures. The primary health standard protects the public´s health, including sensitive populations such as asthmatics, children and the elderly, while the secondary standard applies to protecting plants, trees and crops from environmental damage.

Last year, the EPA´s Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee recommended an ozone standard between 60 and 70 ppb. Committee members said they agreed with EPA staffers who recommended a stronger secondary standard for agricultural crops and ecosystems. A part per billion is a measure of molecules in the atmosphere.

Johnson could have set different limits for the primary and secondary standards, but he opted to make them identical.

Two days after Johnson´s announcement, the Washington Post reported that EPA documents indicate agency officials were prepared to present stricter secondary ozone standards to protect farmland and trees. The newspaper reported that the decision was altered at the last minute when President Bush intervened. Then, the Post reported, Johnson had to delay his news conference so the language could be rewritten in a short span of time.

The Clean Air Act requires the federal government to look at its ozone standards every five years to make sure the rules are adequate.

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