Whether opting to carpool or work from home, metro Atlanta commuters may play an increasingly critical role in the area’s decades-long struggle with poor air quality as it prepares for stricter smog limits expected this summer.
It took the area more than a decade to finally meet the 1997 ozone standard; however, the region could fall back out of compliance again under a more stringent guideline being considered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
For consumers, the issue goes far beyond numbers. It could drive up our energy costs; it could dictate when we send our kids out to play; and, some say, perhaps even save us money on health care costs.
And it could be particularly important for parents whose children suffer from asthma.
The shift to a stricter standard could mean what is currently considered a moderate air day may soon be considered unhealthy for children and other sensitive groups, said Rebecca Watts Hull, director of Mothers & Others for Clean Air.
And even though billions of dollars have been spent on making coal-fired power plants and other pollution sources cleaner, the next biggest areas of opportunity to improve air quality is on the road.
Half of all smog-forming emissions come from car tailpipes with the average commute distance in Atlanta at 35 miles round trip, said Brian Carr with Georgia’s Clean Air Campaign. The nonprofit works to improve the state’s air quality and reduce traffic congestion.
“We’ve got our work cut out for us.”
Smog, or ground-level ozone, is formed when air pollutants from power plants, industrial facilities, vehicles and other sources react in sunlight.
After scientists determined the 1997 ozone standard was no longer safe, federal regulators adopted a more stringent level in 2008. The EPA, however, decided not to implement the standard and is considering an even lower limit. A ruling is expected by the end of July.
So far this smog season, the metro area has experienced at least nine Code Orange days — when the air is considered unhealthy for children and other vulnerable groups. If the federal smog standard is lowered, the number of days considered unhealthy could jump, Watts Hull said.
Breathing in smog is linked to a range of serious health issues from triggering asthma attacks to increasing the risk of premature death in people with heart or lung disease.
Georgia and the Southeast have faced significant challenges in controlling air pollution but have made great strides, said Dick Schutt with the EPA’s Region 4 office.
The region is very tied to coal, has seen populations grow and has hot, humid summers, said Schutt, who is chief of the air planning branch. “The demand for power, the demand for motor vehicles ... has gone up almost exponentially in the past 30 years.”
Atlanta’s ozone level has dropped from more than 120 parts per billion in the 1980s to today’s level of 80 parts per billion — which is 80 ozone molecules out of every billion air molecules.
The lowest level now under consideration by the EPA would put the new limit at 60 parts per billion.
For Beth Blalock, air quality was one of the first concerns when her family moved back to Atlanta from Tybee Island a year and a half ago. With a long, hot summer ahead, Blalock is taking precautions and shifting routines.
Playtime outside for her 3-year-old son is now relegated to the mornings. In the afternoon and evening — when smog levels are the worst — she searches for indoor activities such as trips to the Fernbank Museum of Natural History and gymnastics classes.
“It really frustrates me that I can’t control the air I breathe,” she said.
Depending on how low the new ozone limit is set, the EPA estimates the change would yield up to $100 billion in health benefits per year and help prevent up to 12,000 premature deaths nationwide in 2020.
For energy giant Georgia Power, it’s unclear what the impact of stricter ozone standards would mean for the company, spokeswoman Lynn Wallace said. “We hope they’re not lowered drastically.”
Putting on a lot more environmental controls would drive up costs that are ultimately borne by customers, she said. The power company has invested roughly $3.7 billion in putting environmental controls on its coal-fired power plants and will need to spend another estimated $2.6 billion over the next three years to comply with existing standards, Wallace added.
Southern Co., Georgia Power’s parent company, has been talking with the EPA and policymakers about the rule, said spokeswoman Stephanie Kirijan. “The rule is unrealistically stringent and ... could damage the economy.”
Right now, all the state can do is speculate until a decision on the new standard is made, said Jac Capp, chief of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division’s Air Protection Branch.
While in the mid-to-late 1990s metro Atlanta was unable to move forward with some federally funded transportation projects because its transportation plan failed to conform to air quality standards, officials say that’s no longer the case. Metro transportation plans through 2040 all comply with air quality requirements, according to the Atlanta Regional Commission, the region’s official planning agency.
Capp added that with better intergovernmental cooperation and rapidly declining vehicle emissions, the state is unlikely to face any future penalties as long as it stays on track with its plan to meet standards.
If a new ozone limit is set this summer, the EPA would likely decide which areas will be designated as being out of compliance sometime in 2013, Capp said. The state then has three years to come up with a plan to achieve the standard.
Metro Atlanta air pollution
The region has struggled with its air quality for decades. In 1986-88 measurements by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, the region’s ozone level reached its worst on record -- 124 parts per billion. When the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency set 84 parts per billion as the ozone standard in 1997, the region was still having trouble, registering 118 parts per billion in 1997-99 measurements. (A region is determined to be in compliance or not based on the fourth-highest, eight-hour average ozone level reading over a three-year period.) The region just recently met the 1997 standard. Now, the EPA might set a new ozone limit between 60 and 70 parts per billion.
Doing your part to reduce air pollution
- Share a ride to work with co-workers or through a vanpool.
- Use public transportation, ride a bike or walk to work.
- Work from home.
- Reduce energy consumption by buying more efficient appliances.
- Buy locally grown food.
Helpful websites:
www.cleanaircampaign.org
www.mothersandothersforcleanair.org
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