INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Indiana environmental officials and Republican Gov. Mike Pence are pushing back against new rules proposed by the federal Environmental Protection Agency that would reduce the amount of ozone levels allowed in the atmosphere. 

Indiana Department of Environmental Management officials say the state's current air quality improvements are adequate. The Indianapolis Star reports that they're also downplaying what medical researchers say is an unacceptable public health risk, saying that science behind the proposed changes can't be trusted.

The state's top air-quality regulators claim lowering ozone levels won't help people with asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, pneumonia and those with other conditions made worse by ozone.

They argue that the proposal will kill jobs and diminish the quality of life in Indiana.