The 2015
Ozone season is upon us and as every year lasts from April through
October. This season is critical to
retaining our “Attainment” designation for ozone.
With last year’s average, we exceeded the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Ozone Standard of 75 parts per billion (ppb). Attainment of the federal standard for ground-level ozone is based on a three-year average of the annual fourth highest, eight-hour reading at any one of the area’s three regulatory monitors.
With last year’s average, we exceeded the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Ozone Standard of 75 parts per billion (ppb). Attainment of the federal standard for ground-level ozone is based on a three-year average of the annual fourth highest, eight-hour reading at any one of the area’s three regulatory monitors.
Last year we registered an 80ppb
as the fourth highest from one of our monitors thus surpassing the current
standard.
In addition,
EPA is proposing a new standard to be somewhere between 65 and 70 ppb. We do not know the exact standard yet, but do
know the range. We must do our best to
try to reduce ozone this season to have a chance at continuing our “Attainment”
status. Being declared Non-attainment
would require transportation conformity and the MPO would have one year to
complete this. Transportation conformity is a test in which transportation
activities in an MPO’s long and short-range plans must be shown to not cause
new air quality violations, worsen existing violations, or delay timely
attainment of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).
Failure to do
so within the required time frame of twelve months or the failure to meet
emissions budgets or to pass one of the conformity tests results in a
conformity lapse. A conformity lapse has immediate effects if the requirements
are not met. A lapse results in Federal transportation funds being restricted
to certain types of “exempt projects”. Exempt projects include those such as safety
projects and certain mass transportation projects, Transportation Control Measures
(projects that reduce vehicle emissions) from an approved SIP, and project phases
that were authorized by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit
Administration (FTA) prior to the lapse.
Ground level
ozone forms when nitrogen oxides (NOx) combine with volatile organic compounds
(VOCs), during periods of intense heat and sunlight. NOx can be found in
vehicle exhaust and VOCs can be found emitting from gasoline fumes. Therefore,
vehicle use plays an integral part in producing ground level ozone.
To help
reduce ground-level ozone, we can reduce the amount we drive through
carpooling, busing, walking, or biking. You can also use less gas by not
driving aggressively, driving the speed limit or less, removing excess weight
from your vehicle, keeping your tires properly inflated, idle less, go in
instead of using the drive-thru, or combining errands into single trips.
Additionally, please remember to refuel in the evening on Air Quality Health
Alert/Ozone Action days.
