The Washington region is successfully vacuuming the air of harmful ground-level ozone, new statistics show, but the region still falls below national standards for air quality — benchmarks it must meet in four years or face federal penalties.
The region experienced 44 percent fewer bad air-quality days between 2003 and 2006 than the four years earlier, according to the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, putting the area in a good position to meet strict federal standards for ozone in 2009 and fine particles in 2010.
Officials say controls on power plant emissions, cleaner vehicles and more than 100 initiatives launched by local jurisdictions — wind energy purchases, green buildings, tree plantings — have reduced ground-level ozone, the pollutant most associated with poor air quality and difficult breathing on a hot day. There were 44 “Code Red” air-quality days between 1999 and 2003, and only 10 since, said Ted Aburn, with the Maryland Department of the Environment.
“The region is making progress toward meeting its air-quality goals,” said Phil Mendelson, chairman of Council of Government’s air-quality committee and a D.C. Council member. “This has sometimes been in doubt in previous years.”
Officials say they’re doing their part to control and reduce pollution.
In Maryland, new power plant emission controls require reductions in nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide and mercury. Fairfax County has implemented energy efficiency and green-building programs, diesel retrofits and anti-idling policies, and teleworking goals for employees. The District is drafting new vehicle emission standards and requiring additional controls on industrial and institutional pollution sources, such as boilers and heating plants.
“Just as poor air-quality results from many different sources, so to do the solutions have to come from many different sources,” said David Snyder, Falls Church city council member.
The National Capital Region must meet the federal standards on time or face a reduction in federal transportation funding. More importantly, said Nancy Floreen, a Montgomery County council woman, “We will continue to jeopardize the public health.”
But the greater challenge will come in 2010 and beyond, officials said.
“That’s going to be the difficult part considering the growth that will occur [regionwide], and we have few additional control strategies,” said Jim Sydnor, Virginia’s air management director.
