Published: October 08, 2008 12:00 am            

New lower ozone levels challenge region

EPA standards could affect central Oklahoma

Norman and the central Oklahoma area could potentially be identified by the state as one of its nonattainment areas in March 2009 for the new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's new lower ozone standards.

And what that could eventually mean for central Oklahoma if its ozone levels are not reduced by 2013 is slowing progress in the area, including reduced federal funding for transportation, difficulty locating any new industry that required air permits, higher gasoline prices and mandated inspections for automobile fleets.

There's still time to reduce central Oklahoma's ozone levels to the new level, but time is of the essence, said Doug Rex, division director for transportation for the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments or ACOG to Norman city councilmembers at their Tuesday study session.

The nonattainment determination is based on measurements from six area sites from Goldsby to north Oklahoma City and averaged from 2006 to 2008.

"We are very fortunate in a lot of respects ... we do typically have good air quality," Rex said. "But it's a summertime problem. ... And central Oklahoma is ripe for formation of ozone."

Too much ozone affects people with cardiovascular, respiratory and heart illnesses, he said. The American Heart Association has found a causal relationship between air pollution and heart disease.

In Cleveland County, there are more than 96,000 who suffer from those conditions out of a county population of about 200,000.

The new standard is 0.075 parts per million compared to the old standard of 0.08 ppm.

"It doesn't sound like a lot, but it really is," Rex said.

Averaged area ozone measurements for the past three years range from 0.072 in Goldsby, usually the area's lowest measurement, to 0.080 in north Oklahoma City. The higher measurements tending toward the northern sites in central Oklahoma are a result of the typical Oklahoma winds blowing from the south to the north, Rex said.

There is a small window to avoid being tagged as a nonattainment area with EPA finalizing nonattainment designations for the area from 2007 to 2009 data.

"Until EPA makes its final designation, there is still a little bit of hope," Rex said.

Emissions in central Oklahoma are caused primarily by mobile sources like vehicles and lawn equipment causing 64 percent, point sources like industry causing 16 percent and area emissions causing 20 percent.

Sunlight is an additional ingredient, which is plentiful in the warmer months in Oklahoma.

If the area is in nonattainment, it has until March 2013 to develop a plan to come back into compliance.

Rex said in the interim, the state would have to deal with the Transportation Conformity Rule, which links transportation planning and emission reductions.

Transportation plans would have to be consistent with air quality goals, including not worsening existing air quality.

"We would make sure emissions are not greater than what we have today," Rex said. "None of our future plans for construction can have a negative impact."

Carol Cole-Frowe 366-3538 ccole@normantranscript.com

        

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