The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rececntly announced that the long-delayed ozone standards will go into effect soon.
The EPA has designated the areas that do not meet the standards as "non-attainment" areas. The new eight-hour ozone standard replaces the one-hour standard that had been in place since 1979. The impact will not be immediate or universal. Various jurisdictions now have to come up with plans to achieve attainment. It is up to each jurisdiction to decide how to achieve the goal.
Ground-level ozone, a primary ingredient in smog, is formed when volatile organic compounds produced by cars, trucks, power plants and industrial facilities react in th epresence of sunlight. Jurisdictions may be required to take measures to control ozone pollution, which could include stricter controls on emissions from vehicles and equipment, additional planning for transportation projects or other programs like gasoline vapor recovery controls.
Nineteen states meet the new, more protective standard. There are roughly 2,700 counties meeting the eight-hour ozone standard nationwide. On the other hand, approximately 100 metropolitan areas, including approximately 490 counties, have now been designated an "non-attainment" for the eight-hour standard.
This article was reprinted from ANLA's Update newsletter. For more information about ANLA, visit www.anla.org.