Ozone Pollution: Economic Impacts

The following article appeared in the May 2007 of B2B Outlook, a regional business magazine for the Eastern Panhandle.

The EPA estimates that 17 million gallons of gasoline are spilled every year.  This often occurs when people try to top-off their gas tanks while fueling their cars.   Don't top-off your tanks. 

Your Business, the Regional Economy and Air Quality

In the Eastern Panhandle

  What do these three things have in common? Actually, quite a bit. All three are components that are woven into the fabric of the Eastern Panhandle. Each one can have a direct effect on the other. A change in any one component can affect the other components.

  The Air Quality Program has been operating since 2004 to help clear the air in the Eastern Panhandle. This program was created after the EPA determined that Jefferson and Berkeley Counties had failed the agency's criteria for high levels of ground ozone pollution; in the government's terms, the two counties were a 'non-attainment area'. A high concentration of ground level ozone pollution has a direct effect on the health of the people who live in the region. Children and the elderly can be severely affected by the pollution.

  The EPA could have taken punitive actions on the region at the time of this designation. These actions would have been based on the authority given the EPA in the Clean Air Act. These actions could have included: the withholding of transportation funding, mandating emissions testing for vehicles in the region and fines. All of these could result in decreased economic growth, loss of jobs as businesses choose to relocate their facilities and a negative image of the region.

  To keep the EPA from imposing any punitive actions, the leadership of Jefferson and Berkeley Counties , the City of Martinsburg and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection worked together and created an Early Action Plan to address the issue of ground level ozone pollution. This plan is the basis for the Air Quality Program. Since the inception of the plan in 2004, the levels of ozone pollution have improved, but there is still much work to be done. With these improved results, the EPA has granted the Eastern Panhandle a series of deferrals from being designated as a non-attainment area. This is the last year for these temporary deferrals.

  The major steps towards cleaner air are made at the federal and state levels with laws and regulations. By becoming an active participant, much work can be accomplished at the level of local businesses and at the individual level.

  What can a local business do to improve the air quality in the region? Actually, quite a bit. The first step you can take is to become a partner of the air quality program. As a partner, you will receive email alerts in the event of an Air Quality Alert Day (AQAD) forecasted for the region. You will receive information on actions to take to reduce the harmful effects of high levels of ozone on your health and information on how to reduce the amount of ozone pollutants you may generate on an AQAD. In the event of an alert, your business would disseminate this information to employees and customers. Your company will be listed as a partner on the Air Quality Program web site, www.cleanairconnection.org . Your company will be recognized as a leader in the community working to create a cleaner environment and improve the quality of life in the eastern Panhandle. If you would like, a staff member from the Air Quality Program can make a presentation to you business with additional details of the program and what individuals can do to ensure their health is not affected by ozone pollution.

  Many of the steps your business and individuals can take to help clear the air will also save you money. Gasoline powered engines are the major source of pollution in the region. This would include cars, trucks, ATV's, boats and lawn mowers. They all add pollutants to the air, some of which can form ozone pollution. As a partner to the Air Quality Program, you will receive information about how to use these devices in an environmentally friendly way. The bottom line of most of these techniques is that they will save you money on fuel and maintenance costs.

  If you decide to implement your own air quality program, help is available from the program staff to get you started on this project.

  The Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia enjoys a very good quality of life. To ensure this quality of life continues, we all need to work together to keep the air as clean as possible. The immediate benefits we will derive relate to the economy, the environment and you health. Consider becoming a partner in the Air Quality Program. Visit www.cleanairconnection.org today!