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GoogleBefore beginning a new review of the air pollution standard itself, the EPA was reviewing recommendations from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources that would have declared Perry and Ste. Genevieve counties nonattainment areas, meaning air monitors in those two counties recorded pollution in excess of the clean air standard. A decision was expected by March.
Now state officials expect a more stringent standard. That's why officials are worried. David Grimes, director of research and special projects for the Southeast Missouri Regional Planning and Economic Development Commission, told the Cape Girardeau County Commission on Thursday that the potential for a tougher standard could put Cape Girardeau County and New Madrid County in danger of being declared nonattainment.
Grimes has been visiting counties around the region seeking a resolution of support for a voluntary clean air program. Cape Girardeau County was the last county on his list, and he'll start a round of visits to regional cities.
If Cape Girardeau County is included in the zone, it could stop businesses from locating here and prevent existing ones from expanding, Grimes said. Air pollution, especially ozone pollution, is becoming a rural problem in addition to an urban one, he said.
"We're fighting long and hard to try and prevent this from happening because it could be devastating to our communities," he said. "The good news is we probably have a while before it's decided and we have time to take action."
Ozone is a form of oxygen that forms when sunlight interacts with volatile organic chemicals, such as gasoline fumes, and nitrogen oxides, found in car exhaust and emissions from coal-fired power plants. The resulting pollution is commonly known as smog. Federal rules impose increasing restrictions as violations become more serious.
An air monitor at Farrar, Mo., in southeast Perry County was considered to show violations when the Missouri DNR made its recommendations. But with no days in violation at Farrar this year, area officials had hoped that Perry County would escape the nonattainment designation.
State officials are waiting for word on whether the EPA will lower the standard, said Renee Bungart, spokeswoman for the state resource agency. The decision is expected in two to four weeks. If the emissions threshold is lowered, the entire process of evaluating violations would begin again. State recommendations would be due by August, an EPA decision would come by August 2011 and restrictions would take effect by December 2013, Bungart said.
"It is more likely that the number is going to be lowered," she said. "If they lower it, we hit the reset button, look at the number that is the standard and go back and re-evaluate the whole entire state."
In the discussion Thursday, Presiding Commissioner Gerald Jones said he agreed the designation would be devastating for future commerce in the county.
"It would shut down any additional expansion or a company looking to come in.," Jones said. "When a company comes in, they want to know if you're in an attainment or nonattainment zone. They'll then go to the next county."
Jackson Mayor Barbara Lohr, who was at the meeting, said the city will start an advertising campaign to educate its residents on ozone. The city will put a sticker on gas pumps with the words "Stop at the click for clean air" to encourage people to stop filling their tanks when the pump shuts off the first time.
"We're trying to get our citizens be aware of some things they can do to help with the Clean Air Action Plan," Lohr said. "The sticker would really help. People don't understand how it helps if they don't overflow their gas tanks."
388-3642
388-3628
Pertinent addresses:
1 Barton Square, Jackson, Mo.
Farrar, Mo.
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"area officials worry about economic effect"
"We're fighting long and hard to try and prevent this from happening because it could be devastating to our communities"
I'm sure the impact on profit margins is much more important than clean air. I'll never understand a culture that puts profits above health and the long-term preservation of the only world we have to live on. You know what else is devastating to our communities? Polluting them.
It is time to make some tough choices on our environment. This is a much bigger issue than trying to promote growth. I personally don't believe that Cape County has anything to worry about like urban areas do, but what if they do designate the county as an NA area? We can't help it if we're downwind from St. Louis, but we can do our part by driving less, and putting a moratorium on any new building projects, not mowing the grass along highways in rural areas...there's many more than I can list.
Just another example of the government being a bigger problem than the problem they thought up.
Suggest an additional worry beyond that of limited growth will be that of increased 'shrinkage'.
At what point will regulations become so burdensome as to push existing businesses "to the next county" or perhaps to the next country? My general perception of the response from the clean greenies is the classic, "so what" or "who cares"? Suggest that when pointing the finger of blame at the polluters, one should keep in mind the numbers of jobs that they provide to those not so much concerned with the profit margins as they are with the margins of just getting by. Pushing things to the most extreme, it could get to a point that all one can afford to do is breathe - but at least it would be clean air, of course.
Clean air is an admirable goal - but so is a healthy economy where most people can afford their 'needs' along with a few 'wants'. Seems the challenge lies with the lack of agreement on where best to strike the balance.
Costs for environmental compliance will trickle-down to the end consumer in some way, shape, or form - no doubt about it, at least from my point-of-view. Suggest that environmental compliance is a regular cost of doing business, thus generally-acceptable to pass along.
Compliance with existing regulations dealing with sulfur, nitrogen oxides, and particulate emissions have already significantly increased costs. The renewable-energy initiative along with the proposed cap-and-trade legislation promise to put even greater upward pressure on costs. Now, more restrictive ozone regulations hold promise to further add to the upward cost pressures on one's utility bill, one's fuel bill, one's grocery bill, and all things one buys which causes pollutants to be generated in some amount during their manufacture, transport, or operation.
One of the mostly untold stories in this whole discussion is about how far we have already come since regulations were first imposed. One of my many rules-of-thumb is that the last 20% of potential gain takes 80% of the total effort.
Just where is the stopping point? In other words, borrowing from Lee Iacocca, "how much clean air do we really need"? Haven't found a good, definitive answer for that one, but still looking.