Clean Air Act: EPA will stop calculating dollar values for some health benefits.

The EPA announced it will no longer monetize some health benefits from reductions in fine particulate matter and ozone for at least some Clean Air Act proposals, and the agency says it will continue to account for health impacts without assigning dollar values.

The EPA announced a change in how it evaluates some Clean Air Act proposals by not assigning dollar values to certain health benefits tied to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ozone. The Clean Air Act has long been evaluated using studies that estimate health outcomes and attach economic values to those outcomes; previous analyses have attributed large public-health and economic gains to the law. Agency documents cited in reporting indicate the change will affect analyses prepared by the Office of Air and Radiation and some specific regulatory impact statements. The EPA has said it will continue to account for the health effects of PM and ozone but will not monetize those impacts at this time. Key facts: - The EPA will not monetize certain health benefits tied to reductions in fine particulate matter and ozone for at least some proposed rules. - The agency stated it will continue to account for health impacts but is not assigning dollar values for those impacts at this time. - Documents cited in reporting suggest the approach may be applied to analyses from the Office of Air and Radiation, including some recent regulatory impact materials. - The scope of the policy and any legal responses remain unclear; some observers say legal challenges are possible. Summary: The agency’s change removes monetized health benefits from some Clean Air Act cost–benefit presentations and shifts emphasis toward compliance costs in those analyses. The practical effects and the full scope of the policy are still being determined. Undetermined at this time.