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A SIP is a plan for
each state that identifies how the state will meet the requirements of
the Clean Air Act, including the National Ambient Air Quality Standards
(NAAQS).
SIPs usually include requirements in the form of narratives, rules, emissions
inventories, evidence of state legal authority, or permits. The states prepare
SIPs and submit them to the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for
approval. SIP narratives can include state promises for future action. Once the
EPA approves a SIP, the EPA and citizens may enforce the SIP rules, requirements,
and commitments in Federal court.
Click here for the Environment
Protection Agency's regional SIP website
The 2003 Air Quality
Plan: Too Little, Too Late
The DC region has violated federal air quality standards for decades. Ground-level
ozone, also known as smog, is the toxic gas that makes pollution
harmful to human health. It forms when two pollutants, Nitrogen Oxides (NOx)
and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) combine on a hot, sunny day. In 2002,
the DC region had 9 Code Red and 19 Code Orange days - days with high ozone levels
that had serious health impacts for area residents. According to a 1999 study
by Abt Associates, breathing difficulties during a typical smoggy summer in the
DC area send 2,400 people to the hospital, and cause 130,000 asthma attacks.
Plan Does Not Show We
Will Meet Ozone Standard
The 2003 air quality plan (State Implementation Plan or SIP) will not make
the DC region meet federal ozone standards by 2005, as required under the Clean
Air Act. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rules require that a specialized
computer model be used to see if a region will keep ozone levels below the legal
limit. But the computer model showed ozone levels in the DC region in 2005 to
be above the allowable amount. The Council of Governments (COG) should
run the model again to determine the maximum emissions allowed tol meet the standard.
Plan Allows Higher Pollution Levels
From Vehicles
New, more accurate projections show air pollution from vehicles in the DC area
to be far worse than previously assumed. The new “Mobile 6 projections show
that NOx emissions (a component of ozone) in 2005 will be approximately 50 tons
per day higher than previously thought. COG responded to this new data by raising
the NOx emission allowed in the plan by 20%, claiming we will still meet ozone
standards. But with 9 Code Red days in 2002, it makes no sense to allow more pollution.
Rather than allowing higher pollution levels, we should implement new measures
to reduce NOx emissions.
Plan Must Address Pollution From Driving
Although cars and trucks are responsible for about 45% of NOx emissions and about
30% of VOCs emissions (the two components of harmful ozone) in the DC area, the
plan does not include any new local or state measures to reduce car emissions.
COG should include new measures to enhance clean transportation options, such
as: an impact fee on employer-provided free parking (with exemptions for companies
offering transit benefits); expanded transit service; bicycle and pedestrian improvements;
exclusive bus lanes; and expanded outreach to employers and employees to promote
transit benefits.
New Consumer and Industrial Regulations Are a Step Forward
The 2003 plan commits Maryland, DC and Virginia to implement several regulations
on various consumer and industrial products to lower VOCs emissions. These include
stricter regulation of surface cleaning devices, portable fuel containers, architectural
coatings, paints used in mobile repair and refinishing, and vapor cleaning machines.
These measures are worthwhile and should be implemented as quickly as possible.
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