The Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) has joined with the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and 11 other groups to move to intervene in a lawsuit brought by the Sierra Club over the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) regulation of ozone. The Sierra Club and other environmental groups filed the suit to force EPA to complete its review and revision of the national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for ozone by September 2014.
AAIA and NAM moved to intervene to help prevent the adoption of more stringent NAAQS demanded by the environmental groups. According to Aaron Lowe, AAIA vice president, government affairs, “Any lowering of the standard will result in additional costly and burdensome control requirements on AAIA member manufacturers and many of the products they produce.” NAM commented that, “The timetable proposed by the environmental groups would require EPA to truncate the public comment period, to the detriment of the public and the regulated community. Companies need to have adequate time to develop and present information to EPA concerning the present standard and a possible revision. Forcing EPA to act hurriedly would frustrate the development of sound scientific support on the need for NAAQS revisions.”
