{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://tiffany.house.gov/media/press-releases/wisconsin-congressmen-introduce-fair-air-standards-act-addressing-ozone", "Wisconsin Congressmen Introduce Fair Air Standards Act, Addressing Ozone Nonattainment, Vehicle Emissions Testing", "2026-04-27", "2026", "2026-04", "Republican", "House", "WI", "Thomas P. Tiffany", "T000165", "tiffany.house.gov", "tiffany", "https://tiffany.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 Today, Congressman Tom Tiffany (WI-07), Bryan Steil (WI-01), Scott Fitzgerald (WI-05), and Glenn Grothman (WI-06) introduced the Fair Air Standards Act addressing Southeastern Wisconsin\u2019s classification as an Ozone Nonattainment Area.\n\n\u201cBecause of outdated federal rules, hundreds of thousands of Wisconsin drivers in seven counties are forced to complete emissions tests every two years just to renew their registration. Wisconsin families should not be punished with costly and time-consuming mandates because of pollution drifting in from Illinois and Indiana. Four decades later and with cleaner vehicles on the road, it is time to end this non-attainment zone mandate and stop burdening drivers with a system that cannot prove it works,\u201d said Congressman Tom Tiffany.\n\n\u201cFamilies in Wisconsin shouldn\u2019t be paying for pollution originating from outside the state, in places like Chicago,\u201d said Congressman Steil. \u201cThe Fair Air Standards Act ensures that Wisconsin\u2019s non-attainment status is tied to activity originating in our state not those in other areas. Our bill reduces burdens for families, employers, and workers across Southeast Wisconsin while holding out-of-state polluters responsible for their actions.\u201d\n\n\u201cWisconsin communities should not be financially punished for pollution they did not create,\u201d said Congressman Fitzgerald. \u201cThe Fair Air Standards Act gives states a fair chance to prove when air quality problems are caused by emissions from outside their borders and ensures EPA bases its decisions on facts. This legislation will restore fairness for our region and help us move forward without unnecessary federal barriers.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis is a topic we\u2019ve been working on for 25 years, as the poorly drafted Clean Air Act has punished industries in Wisconsin, making them less competitive, especially compared to other states and factories around the world,\u201d said Congressman Grothman. \u201cI\u2019m proud to be championing this bill alongside Congressman Steil to restore the ozone attainment designation that Wisconsin rightfully deserves.\u201d\n\nBackground:\n\nPortions of Wisconsin are currently designated as an Ozone Nonattainment Area due to pollution originating outside of Wisconsin, including cities like Chicago. The SE WI Regional Planning Commission and Wisconsin DNR have reported that Wisconsin sources contribute to no more than 10% of the ozone emissions monitored in the current nonattainment area.\n\nUnder current federal law, when an ozone attainment area misses its deadline, its status automatically bumped up to a higher non-attainment classification. This occurs regardless of whether that status is driven by pollution originating outside of this area.\n\nThat designation triggers stricter permitting requirements and additional regulatory burdens on families, employers, and workers through higher regulatory standards and emissions testing mandates, including vehicle emissions testing requirements. Nine of out ten vehicles in Wisconsin pass the current emissions testing requirements, however inspections continue to cost Wisconsin families time and money.\n\nThe Fair Air Standards Act creates a process for states to petition to the EPA that any non-attainment status is driven by pollution originating outside its boundaries. If proven, the EPA would then be required to redesignate that area as an ozone attainment area.\n\nThis process would help end Southeast Wisconsin\u2019s nonattainment status, ending ongoing federally mandated compliance burdens including vehicle emissions testing. The Fair Air Standards Act would not otherwise affect Wisconsin\u2019s compliance with air quality or environmental standards.\n\nYou can read the bill here.", 1, "2026-06-27T21:44:12Z", "2026-06-27T22:19:40Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://tiffany.house.gov/media/press-releases/wisconsin-congressmen-introduce-fair-air-standards-act-addressing-ozone"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.556724775582552, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}