
On Wednesday, U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Lesko pushed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator to reconsider the EPA’s decision to prematurely reclassify Maricopa County to “serious” nonattainment status for their ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).
Lesko says that the EPA changing the status “despite the understanding through previous communications that the effective date would not occur until later in 2025.”
“If the EPA continues its expedited schedule in a rush to make their reclassification effective before the Trump Administration takes office, it will negatively impact Arizona and national security,” said Lesko. “The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) was just awarded $6.6 Billion in CHIPS Act funding. This action by the EPA could jeopardize that funding and makes absolutely no sense.”
Lesko implied in her letter that the sudden change might have something to do with incoming Trump administration. She wrote, “The reason for this change is not clear to me, but I am concerned that this action was taken based upon the political reality of the upcoming administration change. The law states that there is a 180-day window from August 3, 2024, for redesignation. The expediated timeline is set prior to the 180-day deadline. It is crucial that the EPA and other federal agencies keep a consistent and stable regulatory environment where they do not expediate or change rulings based on the upcoming change in executive power.”