Obama withdraws air quality plans to environmentalists’ dismay

US PRESIDENT Barack Obama has withdrawn a new set of draft air quality standards, saying they would harm the economy, but environmentalists complained he had caved in to polluting corporations.

Obama, who will next week unveil a major plan designed to revive the economy, is under pressure to strip away regulations on businesses that his Republican foes say are denting growth.

“I have continued to underscore the importance of reducing regulatory burdens and regulatory uncertainty, particularly as our economy continues to recover,” he said in a statement.

Obama said that after careful consideration, he had asked the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Lisa Jackson to withdraw draft Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards.

He said he had decided not to burden state and local governments with implementing new standards as they are due to be updated in two years anyway.

The announcement came hours after data showed the stagnant US economy failed to create any jobs in August at a time of 9.1% unemployment.

Republicans and the US Chamber of Commerce had argued that introducing the new standards would cost billions of dollars and jobs.

Wary of liberal fears he is watering down some of his political principles in an all out drive to create jobs, Obama insisted his commitment to the environment was unwavering.

But the move was greet- ed with dismay by some groups that were already angered by the president’s failure to pass efforts to combat global warming through a hostile Congress.

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

However, Obama said: “I want to be clear: my commitment and the commitment of my administration to protecting public health and the environment is unwavering.

“I will continue to stand with the hardworking men and women at the EPA as they strive every day to hold polluters accountable and protect our families from harmful pollution.”

Republicans, who have trumped Obama in a series of recent political showdowns, claimed Obama’s U-turn as a victory.