December 17, 2025
Mr. Whitehouse (for himself, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Schatz, Mr. Markey, Mr. Van Hollen, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Padilla, Mr. Welch, and Ms. Blunt Rochester) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works
Recognizing that ozone pollution can cause lung disease, asthma attacks, cardiovascular problems, and reproductive issues.
Whereas ozone in the stratosphere, the ozone layer
, forms naturally and protects the Earth from dangerous solar radiation;
Whereas ground-level ozone, better known as smog
, forms when air pollution reacts with sunlight;
Whereas smog, in contrast to stratospheric ozone, is dangerous to human health;
Whereas exposure to smog causes asthma attacks, lung disease, nervous system issues, cardiovascular problems, and reproductive issues;
Whereas children are particularly vulnerable to smog pollution;
Whereas, in 2021, analysts found that long-term exposure to smog contributed to 489,000 deaths globally and 14,000 deaths in the United States, with the United States death rate being higher than that of other high-income countries;
Whereas smog pollution lowers crop yields and crop losses due to smog pollution total between 79,000,000 and 121,000,000 metric tons per year;
Whereas methane pollution (the primary constituent of natural gas) reacts with other pollutants to create smog pollution;
Whereas researchers have found that methane emissions significantly affect the air quality across most of the United States, with especially pronounced effects in central States, and methane emissions can have a determining influence on the ability of a region to meet National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ozone that are set by the Environmental Protection Agency;
Whereas, in 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency set methane standards that were projected to eliminate 58,000,000 tons of methane pollution over 15 years, a 79 percent reduction from business as usual; and
Whereas the Trump Administration is reconsidering the 2024 methane standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency: Now, therefore, be it
That—
(1)
the Senate recognizes that ozone pollution can cause lung disease, asthma attacks, cardiovascular problems, and reproductive issues; and
(2)
it is the sense of the Senate that the Environmental Protection Agency should act to reduce smog pollution, including by supporting robust implementation of the 2024 methane standards.