Industry pressures Obama on smog rules during Midwest bus tour

The industry groups have been working behind the scenes for months to stop the ozone regulations, appealing directly to the White House and EPA in a series of meetings. They say the EPA should wait until 2013 to reconsider the rules put in place by then-President Bush in 2008.

The industry groups are meeting Tuesday afternoon at the White House to lay out their concerns.

Public-health groups, who have pressed the White House to “stand strong” in the face of industry opposition, will also meet Tuesday at the White House to discuss the standards. The updated ozone rules will offer huge public-health benefits, both the EPA and clean-air groups say.

The EPA has delayed the release of the final regulations a number of times in recent months, missing a July 29 deadline to unveil the standards. Last week, the EPA said in a court filing that it intends to issue updated ozone standards “shortly,” but did not offer a specific deadline for finalizing the rules.

This story was updated at 1:21 p.m.