Angie Craig: “I am pleased to learn that the committee has directed this level of funding to EPA for this important research. This…”

“I am pleased to learn that the committee has directed this level of funding to EPA for this important research. This comprehensive research program is very much needed. At present, there appears to be insufficient data available for the agency to decide what changes, if any, should be made to the current standard. There is no scientific consensus on whether it is necessary to change the current ambient air quality standards for particulate matter to protect human and environmental health. It has come to my attention that in a letter to EPA on June 13, 1996, EPA's own Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee concluded that ``our understanding of the health effects of [particulates] is far from complete,'' and these scientific uncertainties prevented the committee from agreeing on the agency's suggested new particulate standards.”