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NEWS RELEASE
September 12, 2005
Contacts:
Cheryl Heying, Utah Division of Air Quality, (801) 536-4015
Rick Sprott, Utah Division of Air Quality, (801) 536-0072
SALT LAKE CITY - New plans submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency demonstrate that Salt Lake County, Utah County, and Ogden City meet – and can continue to meet – particulate matter (PM10) standards through at least 2017.
The State is asking EPA to redesignate the three as PM10 attainment areas under the Clean Air Act. The areas were found in violation of the PM10 health standard in 1990. At that time, Utah also violated the ozone, carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide standards.
“Once EPA approves the PM10 plans, every area of the state will have the designation to confirm that they meet all air quality standards,” explained Rick Sprott, Utah Air Quality Director. “This is very significant. Only one other metropolitan area –Denver, Colorado - has ever accomplished this. The achievement is remarkable given that it occurred during a period of rapid growth in both the population and the economy.”
PM10 is small dust and soot particles, generally created during a burning or combustion process. Its primary sources include vehicles and small engines, industry, fireplaces and wood stoves. The nonattainment label has meant stricter controls for industry and vehicle emissions and made it increasingly difficult for communities to obtain federal highway funds.
“This is a milestone in which Utah citizens and businesses can take pride,” Sprott acknowledged. However, he also cautioned that “more work lies ahead” and encouraged residents and industry to be proactive in preventing air pollution.
“Newer standards for ozone and particulate matter are even more protective,” he said, “and we are very close to violating those.”
PM10 is about one-tenth the width of a human hair. It is most obvious as the thick, brownish haze that gets trapped in Wasatch Front Valleys during winter months during temperature inversions when the air is very still. PM can lodge in the lungs, affecting breathing and aggravating existing respiratory and cardiovascular disease. The elderly, children and people with chronic health conditions are especially sensitive to its impacts.
The PM10 plans are available at http://www.airquality.utah.gov/SIP/Sipcomp.htm
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