https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
  • Resources & Events
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
  • Resources/Events
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers/eBooks
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
  • Magazine
acc.com


Counties blast EPA air quality rule

Counties blast EPA air quality rule

Randy Johnson may have been tilting at windmills on his first trip to Capitol Hill as president of the National Association of Counties. Johnson, a commissioner
  • Written by Stephen Barlas
  • 1st October 1997

Randy Johnson may have been tilting at windmills on his first trip to Capitol Hill as president of the National Association of Counties. Johnson, a commissioner from Hennepin County, Minn., was in Washington in late July to complain to a House Judiciary subcommittee about the new ozone and particulate matter (PM) standards imposed by EPA just weeks before.

“Needless to say, our member counties are disillusioned, dismayed and disappointed,” Johnson said. He urged the subcommittee to give strong consideration to HR 1984, which pushes back the ozone and PM implementation schedules four years to allow for more research.

Congress is expected to vote on that bill and its Senate counterpart, S 1084, sometime this fall.

The new ozone standard is .08 parts-per- million, down from .12 ppm. But “exceedences” will be declared only if a non-attainment area’s average reading for an eight-hour period is above .08 ppm. (Currently, the limit is any measurement above 12 ppm for any one-hour period.) Additionally, the current PM restriction is on particles below 10 microns in diameter, but the new standard, particles below 2.5 microns, is tighter.

The number of non-attainment areas would increase dramatically under the new standards. Under the current standards, there are 106 ozone and 41 PM10 non-attainment counties, based on 1993-1995 data. Weeks before EPA issued the July final rule with the tighter standards, it estimated that the number of non-attainment counties would rise to 280 for ozone and 150 for PM. Then, after the rule was published, EPA increased its estimates to 546 and 283, respectively.

Johnson said counties have made enormous efforts to comply with the current standards. But, he noted, “Instead of some recognition of accomplishment, the message sent by these new standards is that our efforts have been inadequate, inappropriate or ineffective. If we are to be required to commit significant additional resources to further reduce air pollution, we must be assured that these new investments will yield appreciable health benefits.”

Local governments and business groups, and, indeed, an EPA advisory committee, have serious doubts that the agency has produced adequate data to ensure that that will happen. Rep. Ron Klink (D – Pa.), who with Michigan Republican Fred Upton introduced HR 1984, says the work of the EPA-appointed Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee proves “the desperate need for more study of PM- 2.5 and the extremism of the new ozone standard.”

HR 1984 and S 1084, introduced by Sens. John Breaux (D – La.) and James Inhofe (R – Okla.), could pass both houses of Congress. But it is unlikely that either house has the votes to override an expected Clinton veto.

Barring passage of those bills, states would have to submit ozone and PM SIPs in 2003 and 2005. Cities and counties in non-attainment areas would then have to do such things as: purchase alternative fuel vehicles, use more expensive reformulated gasoline and impose driving restrictions and commercial development limits. (The federal government may help with some of those new costs.)

EPA’s final rule was not as tough as the original rule proposed in November 1996. For example, there is a new transitional classification for counties that take certain steps to reduce exposure to ozone.

EPA would go easy on them even if they did not meet the new .08 ppm, eight-hour standard. To qualify as a transition area, the state would have to meet certain criteria, such as submitting an ozone SIP three years early in 2000.

Tags:

Most Recent


  • Amid shifting workplace expectations, local government employers must adapt
    Constrained by inflexible budgets, local government employers can’t compete with the lucrative salaries offered in the private sector. And while recruitment has always been a challenge for public employers, the last two years have been especially difficult. From January 2020 to the same month this year, government organizations lost around 600,000 jobs—more than manufacturing, wholesale […]
  • Smart911 emergency profiles provide first responders with more information, faster
    Since the first full time fire department was established in Cincinnati in 1853, emergency responders have raced into unknown scenarios with limited advance information when the firehouse bell rings—until now. Among the many advancements of next-generation 911 dispatch systems, Smart911, an app developed by Rave Mobile Safety, automatically displays resident profiles during an emergency—including details […]
  • baseball
    Minor league baseball is helping cities hit a revitalization home run
    It’s that time of year again—the crack of the bat, the roar of the crowd when the home team hits a home run, not to mention the peanuts, Cracker Jacks and hot dogs! Nothing compares to the fun of gameday at the stadium, enjoying the national pastime of baseball. Some mid-sized cities have taken the […]
  • sustainable
    Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council can help governments get up to speed on sustainable buys
    The non-profit Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council (SPLC) has more than 180 organizational members with more than $300 billion in collective purchasing power. The SPLC’s procurement membership is nearly half public procurement entities, says Sarah O’Brien, the group’s CEO. “That sets us apart from many consulting and advisory groups. We have worked closely with a diverse […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • North Texas alliance partners with Marketplace.city on smart government solutions
  • Harris County deploys next-generation security in 150 public buildings
  • Public procurement can be transformative for stakeholders in a community
  • The 10 Most Sustainable Large U.S. Cities

White papers


The PIO’s Ultimate Guide to Social Media

16th May 2022

Gain Greater Visibility Into Your Public Works Fleet

16th May 2022

Arizona Arts Center Meets Rapid Deadline with Hundreds of Thousands in Savings

26th April 2022
view all

Events


PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

Amid shifting workplace expectations, local government employers must adapt dlvr.it/SQm2RT

20th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Smart911 emergency profiles provide first responders with more information, faster dlvr.it/SQh9gl

19th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Minor league baseball is helping cities hit a revitalization home run dlvr.it/SQc5N4

18th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council can help governments get up to speed on sustainable buys dlvr.it/SQbwqL

18th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

The MSP downstream cyberthreat paradox: Understanding the city and county connection dlvr.it/SQYVjs

17th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Philanthropic group to launch assistance portal for local admins navigating federal bureaucracy dlvr.it/SQY16G

17th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Report: Nearly 95 percent of America’s mayors face harassment, threats and violence dlvr.it/SQTn2z

16th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

The PIO’s Ultimate Guide to Social Media dlvr.it/SQTdCK

16th May 2022

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2022 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X