Congressman Biggs Applauds EPA Action to Protect Maricopa County

GILBERT, ARIZONA -This week, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin convened a roundtable to announce a major development regarding air quality regulations in Maricopa County.

Under a soon-to-be-finalized emissions rule, Air Quality Rule 204 ("Emissions Offsets Generated by Voluntary Nonroad Engine Emission Reductions"), industries across Maricopa County would be permitted to use emission reduction credits generated through voluntary reductions in nonroad engine emissions. The rule would provide businesses with greater flexibility to build and expand production while ensuring that overall emissions do not increase.

Congressman Andy Biggs (AZ-05) attended the roundtable and issued the following statement:

"I applaud the Trump Administration and Administrator Zeldin for continuing to reverse destructive environmental policies that threaten economic growth and opportunity in Maricopa County. Arizona-and Maricopa County specifically-is home to extraordinary economic and technological development that is improving the lives of Arizonans and Americans across the country. For years, Washington bureaucrats have ignored the fact that much of the air pollution affecting Arizona originates outside our state and beyond our control, while imposing increasingly burdensome local regulations that do little to meaningfully improve air quality. That approach threatens jobs, investment, housing, and economic opportunity without addressing the underlying problem.

"This announcement is welcome news for those of us who understand that protecting our environment and promoting economic growth are not mutually exclusive. We can pursue responsible environmental stewardship without crushing businesses and families in one of the fastest-growing regions in the nation."

Congressman Biggs has been a leading advocate for rolling back burdensome federal regulations that threaten economic growth in Maricopa County. In February 2025, Congressman Biggs led a letter to the White House urging the Administration and EPA to prevent Maricopa County's Clean Air Act ozone nonattainment designation from being reclassified from "moderate" to "serious."

Approximately 80 percent of the emissions attributed to Arizona originate from natural or international sources beyond the state's control. Congressman Biggs warned that imposing even stricter federal requirements on Arizona businesses and families would do little to address the underlying causes of the region's air quality challenges while inflicting significant economic costs on the Valley.

In March, the EPA announced that it would not escalate Maricopa County's ozone designation from "moderate" to "serious," sparing Arizona families and businesses from another wave of costly and ineffective federal regulations.

This week's announcement represents another significant step toward a more practical approach-one that allows Maricopa County to continue growing and creating jobs while pursuing meaningful emissions reductions.

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