The air in more than 300 U.S. counties is too dirty, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, so it has decided to lower the allowable amount of smog-forming ozone to 75 parts per billion. That's significantly higher than what the agency's scientific advisers urged, but lower than what some industries wanted.

The announcement was scheduled to be released at 1 p.m. Wednesday but was delayed until 6 p.m. But the regs have been posted on government Web pages for anybody who knows how to find them.

So the new rule will be 75 parts per billion. The old rule was 80 to 84 parts per billion. AP reports:

An estimated 85 counties of the more than 700 that have monitoring stations exceed the current 80 parts per billion concentration, according to the latest EPA calculations. More than 320 counties exceed the tighter 75 parts per billion standard.

Health experts say smog under the current ozone regulation -- even in areas where the limit is being met -- causes hundreds of premature deaths among the elderly and health problems for thousands of young children and people with asthma and other respiratory illnesses.

An independent EPA advisory group of scientists last year said an ozone standard of 60 to 70 parts per billion is needed to provide an adequate margin of protection for the millions of people susceptible to respiratory problems. A similar conclusion was reached by a second advisory board on children's health.

Check out this amazing interactive map that allows you to see levels of specific pollutants for your area.

The Washington Post points out:

The new smog rules -- one of the most important environmental decisions President Bush will make during his final year in office -- will be a major factor in determining the quality of the air Americans will breathe for at least a decade. The standards dictate the amount of nitrogen oxides and other chemical compounds that are allowed to come out of vehicles, manufacturing facilities and power plants across the nation.

A slew of industries, including electric utilities and cement manufacturers, had recently urged White House officials in private meetings to keep the ozone limit at 80 parts per billion in order to minimize the cost of installing pollution controls.

The National Association of Manufacturers says businesses may have to spend millions to meet the new rules.

What's ozone and why does it matter?

Background from EPA:

In the earth's lower atmosphere, ground-level ozone is considered "bad." Motor vehicle exhaust and industrial emissions, gasoline vapors, and chemical solvents as well as natural sources emit NOx and VOC that help form ozone. Ground-level ozone is the primary constituent of smog. Sunlight and hot weather cause ground-level ozone to form in harmful concentrations in the air. As a result, it is known as a summertime air pollutant. Many urban areas tend to have high levels of "bad" ozone, but even rural areas are also subject to increased ozone levels because wind carries ozone and pollutants that form it hundreds of miles away from their original sources.

"Good" ozone occurs naturally in the stratosphere approximately 10 to 30 miles above the earth's surface and forms a layer that protects life on earth from the sun's harmful rays.

Learn more about how ozone can be beneficial up high in the stratosphere but harmful at ground level.

EPA has many more resources here, including information on the effects of ground-level ozone, government standards, performance of local communities in meeting those standards and much more.

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