EPA Shifts Policy on Valuing Health Benefits of Regulations
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a significant policy shift, stating it will no longer assign a dollar value to the health benefits derived from regulations aimed at reducing fine particulate matter and ozone pollution. This change, part of a broader realignment under the Trump administration, focuses solely on the economic costs to industry, raising concerns among health experts and advocates about potential rollbacks of air pollution regulations that have previously saved over 230,000 lives annually. EPA press secretary Brigit Hirsch emphasized that while the agency will not monetize health impacts at this time, it remains committed to protecting human health and the environment.