Obama Ends Smog Regulations

This decision may actually kill you

President Barack Obama is known for delivering breath-taking speeches, but his latest move may take your breath away, literally. Over the weekend, Obama pulled the plug on important smog regulations, meaning that smog standards in this country just got lowered.

The decision comes after months of delaying an update to the regulations that were set by President Bush in 2006. Lawmakers and environmentalist alike had been pressuring Obama to make a decision and he finally did, just not the one they wanted.

In defense of his decision Obama released a statement saying that he didn't think it made sense to continue a regulation that was going to be up for review as soon as 2013 anyway. In his eyes, killing the regulation now, and working on ways to make it better is easier (and less expensive) than to continue enforcing one that everybody agrees is faulty.

"The Obama administration is caving to big polluters at the expense of protecting the air we breathe," said Gene Karpinski, president of th League of Conservation Voters in a statement. "This is a huge win for corporate polluters and huge loss for public health."

The EPA says that pulling the plug on this regulation can "can trigger a variety of health problems including chest pain, coughing, throat irritation, and congestion. It can worsen bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma. Ground-level ozone also can reduce lung function and inflame the linings of the lungs. Repeated exposure may permanently scar lung tissue."

Guess the best thing to do is just stay indoors for the next two years.