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Ozone climbdown: Is Obama giving up on environment?

7 September 2011

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HAS Barack Obama got his head in the clouds? That was the question from many corners last week as the president abandoned plans for stricter limits on ozone pollution.

Environmental and health groups have met the decision with suspicion: they fear he has caved in to pressure from Republicans and industry, who say the regulations would be too burdensome and could cost jobs.

The legal limit will stay at 84 parts of ozone per billion of air, as it has been since it was last tightened in 1997.…

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