Richmond, Hampton Roads and others join Northern Virginia as regions identified as having unhealthy air, says EPA

Charlottesville – Under new ozone standards released today by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Richmond and Hampton Roads as well as various mountain communities will join Northern Virginia on the list of regions with unhealthy levels of ozone. The new standards go further to protect the public’s health from ozone pollution, but fall short of the recommendations of public health professionals and EPA’s own scientists which recommended stronger protections.

“Unfortunately EPA has chosen to bow to political interests over the public’s health by releasing a ozone standard that falls short of the recommendations of doctors and other public health professionals. The fact that more cities than ever are likely to fail to meet even this standard should serve as a wake up call to all Virginians that dirty air is everyone’s problem,” said Trip Pollard, senior attorney with the non profit Southern Environmental Law Center.

Under the new standard, the metro Washington, D.C./Northern Virginia region is expected to remain in violation of the federal standard, otherwise known as being in “nonattainment.” However, the greater Richmond area and Virginia Beach as well as smaller western cities including Harrisonburg, Martinsville and Culpepper will also likely be added to the list. These areas will face deadlines to reach the new standard or risk federal sanctions including tighter smokestacks controls and the possible loss of federal highway money.

“What we’re seeing is that unhealthy air is not just an urban problem anymore,” said Pollard. “Even small and mid-sized cities are going to have to tackle their air problems in order to protect the health of their citizens.”

Under the Clean Air Act, the EPA must set air quality standards at levels that protect public health, including sensitive populations, with an adequate margin of safety. In 1997, EPA set the national air quality standard for ozone at 0.08 parts per million (ppm) averaged over an eight hour period. The standard announced today is a slightly more stringent 0.075 ppm. However, in 2006, an EPA panel of scientists and public health experts unanimously recommended strengthening the ozone standard even lower, to within the range of 0.060 to 0.070 ppm, to adequately protect public health.

Power plants are a leading contributor to ozone pollution. In fact, the proposed Dominion power plant planned near Wise County will emit 1,971 tons of ozone forming nitrous oxide each year under the existing air permit.

In addition to coal fired power plants, cars and trucks are among the biggest sources of ozone pollution in Virginia. Between 1980 and 2000, the total number of vehicle miles traveled in Virginia escalated by over 94 percent – three times the 32 percent population growth of that period. To improve air quality, Virginia must focus on strategies to reduce how much and how far its citizens drive such as investing in transportation alternatives and coordinating transportation and land use planning to reduce sprawl.

“Virginia’s current transportation funding crisis presents a critical opportunity to reprioritize investment in transprotaiton projects that will curb rather than increase air pollution,” said Pollard.

Lobbyists representing the oil, coal, electric power and manufacturing industries lobbied heavily against improved air pollution standards in the weeks leading up to the decision. However, EPA and OMB studies repeatedly show heath care costs and lost productivity far outweigh costs of clean up.

Ozone pollution, also known as smog, is known to trigger asthma attacks, reduce lung capacity, and has even been linked to heart disease and premature death. At its worst on hot, dry weather, ozone pollution causes officials to warn children and the elderly to stay indoors on many summer days. Children, whose respiratory systems are still developing, risk permanent loss of lung capacity through prolonged exposure to polluted air. For senior citizens, the natural decline in lung function that occurs with age is worsened by air pollution.