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City of Hickory loses ground in
air quality fight
BY ANDREW MACKIE
Saturday, June 14, 2008
HICKORY
-- State officials described the
battle for cleaner air as a
journey Friday, not a
destination. That was a
frustrating comment for Kitty
Barnes to hear.
The chairwoman of the Catawba
County Board of Commissioners
and Unifour Air Quality
Committee has fought with other
local leaders to bring the
region into federal compliance
for ozone levels.
The Hickory area finally met
those standards in April, just
as the Environmental Protection
Agency raised the bar for
acceptable measures.
“They won’t even allow us to
enjoy being in compliance for
six months,” she said.
The federal allowable amount of
ozone dropped from 0.080 to
0.075 parts per million.
Improving air quality and
combating ozone and another air
pollutant, particulate matter,
were among the top issues
discussed Friday at the Second
Annual Unifour Air Quality
Conference held at Lenoir-Rhyne
University.
While ozone in the upper
atmosphere provides a shield for
harmful ultraviolet rays, ground
ozone contains volatile organic
chemicals that can damage lungs
and eyes. It is formed when
pollutants emitted by cars,
power plants, chemical plants
and other sources react to
sunlight. Excessive ozone can
lead to health problems,
especially among the young and
old.
Areas that violate federal
standards face a range of
restrictions which hamper the
recruitment of new industry and
transportation projects.
To meet the new standard, the
region must build on the success
of government and business
partnerships in the area, state
air quality officials said
Friday.
The region launched a unique
response plan in 2002 called an
Early Action Compact. The plan
involved business and local
governments and included a
public awareness campaign, the
use of alternative fuels, land
use measures and a daily ozone
forecast. Legislation in 2002
forcing improvement in coal
plants helped the effort.
Catawba
County is one of three counties
in violation of particulate
matter levels caused by engines
and industries. The pollution is
about one-thirtieth the size of
a human hair.
Dr. Ken Mitchell, deputy
director of EPA’s Air,
Pesticides and Toxic Management
Division, urged energy
efficiency and education
programs beginning in the early
grades.
“In partnerships, we can lick
this problem,” he said. “It
would not happen overnight, but
it can happen.”
Brock Nicholson, deputy director
of the North Carolina Division
of Air Quality, suggested land
use planning by local government
could make a dramatic impact. He
called for more sidewalks, turn
lanes, bicycle lanes and
synchronized traffic signals.
“Those are the kind of measures
we need at the local level,” he
said.
Other actions include:
• Support for bio-fuel
technologies
• Better construction standards
• Promotion of hybrid vehicles
with tax credits
The college’s Reese Institute
for Conservation of Natural
Resources sponsored the six-hour
event, which drew more than 100
people.
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