When you think about it, the Environmental Protection Agency is asking an awful lot from the country with its proposed, more restrictive standard on ozone. Underline the word "awful":

• 7.3 million U.S. jobs could be lost by 2020, according to a Manufacturers Alliance (MAPI) study.
• An additional $1 trillion in new regulatory costs per year between 2020 and 2030 again, according to the MAPI study.
• About 85 percent of the country in non-compliance with the new standard, including pristine areas like Yellowstone National Park. More below.

Here's the kicker: EPA has no real idea how the country would get in compliance. In its proposal the agency suggests new technologies will make compliance possible. Sounds like a leap of faith ... off a cliff. Howard Feldman, API's director of regulatory and... more »

Each week the National Journal's Energy and Environment blog poses a question and invites a select group of authorities to respond. The question for the week asked about a Gallup Poll showing that Americans are less concerned about the environment than at any time in the past 20 years.

National Journal asked, why? And what does the lack of concern portend for climate legislation?

API's President and CEO Jack Gerard posted a response that made two key points:

• Americans are focused on jobs and the economy; and

• It's likely that many Americans are aware that the environment has improved markedly during the past several years.

According to a report published by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the levels of six common air pollutants have fallen 41 percent on average since 1990, de... more »

Americans are less worried about a series of environmental problems than at any time in the past 20 years. That's the conclusion of a new Gallup poll released today. According to the poll, Americans are least concerned about global warming and most concerned about drinking water.

The poll, which was conducted by telephone in early March, shows for six of eight items the percentage of respondents who said they worry "a great deal" is the lowest point Gallup has ever measured. For all eight items, concern declined. The number of respondents who were worried about drinking water cleanliness fell from 59 to 50 percent during the past year. The number who were worried about climate declined from 33 to 28 percent.

Gallup attributes the decline to the fact that Americans "perceive environmental... more »