Kenneth W. Chilton

In November 1996 the Environmental Protection Agency proposed new air quality standards governing ozone and fine particulate air pollution. The announcement stimulated much criticism of the EPA and debate over the efficacy of government regulations, and in May 1999 a federal appeals court ruled that the EPA had exceeded its authority in issuing the new rules. In the following viewpoint, Kenneth W. Chilton argues that the EPA’s proposed regulations are expensive, and that the evidence that they would save lives by reducing air pollution is negligible. He argues that the EPA should take the costs of implementing regulations into consideration, and that state and local governments should have greater flexibility in determining air quality standards. Chilton is manager of environmental programs at the Center for the Study of American Business...