Expansionary Institute

Michael Zey
futurist3000@aol.com

 
WASHINGTON, Jan. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Americans are breathing dramatically cleaner air than 20 years ago, a new analysis of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency data confirms.  The study, conducted by an independent environmental analysis firm for the Foundation for Clean Air Progress, debunks the long-held but false perception that U.S. air quality is worsening.  The full report is available on-line at www.cleanairprogress.org .

The analysis of USEPA data shows that days with high levels of ozone pollution declined 43 percent during the two-decade period from the early 1980s to the late 1990s in 323 U.S. metropolitan areas that experienced at least one federally-defined ozone standard exceedance during the 20-year study period.  Ozone, often referred to as smog, is a pollutant that hinders normal breathing and may contribute to other negative health effects.

"The credit for this clean air renaissance belongs to every American," remarked Bill Fay, FCAP president.  "We are breathing easier -- much easier -- because we have invested significant resources in cleaner cars, cleaner fuels and cleaner power."

During the most recent three-year period, 1997-1999, two out of three ozone-affected cities (239 of 323 metropolitan areas) had zero violations of the air quality standard, and thereby now effectively comply with federal requirements that determine when an area no longer faces an ozone pollution problem.  One-hundred sixty-two million Americans now live in areas that comply with federal ozone requirements.  Another 51 million Americans live in areas that have witnessed dramatic clean air improvements over the past two decades.

"Translated, this means that over three-quarters of the U.S. population -- more than 213 million Americans -- is breathing clean or dramatically cleaner air," said Fay.  "We still have more to do to enable every American to enjoy the benefits of cleaner air, but our phenomenal progress so far deserves to be celebrated."

Yet more than three in five Americans (61 percent) still believe the nation's air quality is deteriorating, according to a September 1999 national public opinion survey for FCAP.  Only one in five (22 percent) believe it is improving; the remainder believe air quality has remained about the same. This study underlines that most Americans are unaware of the vast improvement in air quality during the past two decades.  Complete poll results also are available at www.cleanairprogress.org .

Nowhere is the clean air progress more pronounced than in Southern California.  While much of the region was beset with poor air quality virtually every other day in the early 1980s, today's air quality is dramatically better.  In fact, five metropolitan areas in Southern California claimed the top five spots on the FCAP list of the twenty U.S. cities that have achieved the greatest clean air progress over the past two decades.

For example, Los Angeles-Long Beach lowered its "ozone days" from 154 in the early 1980s to only 23 days in late 1990s -- a reduction of 85 percent. San Diego now is experiencing only 3 ozone days a year, whereas they saw 71 a year in the early 1980s -- down 95 percent.

On the East Coast over the same two-decade span, Philadelphia's ozone days fell from 34 to six, down 82 percent; New York City cut its ozone days from 26 to five, a drop of 81 percent.

Houston saw its ozone days drop from 62 in the early 1980s to 39 now. Houston, which recently has been profiled as among the dirtiest air cities, actually achieved the 13th greatest clean air progress in the nation since the early 1980s.

Strikingly, the enormous environmental progress made by America's metropolitan areas concurred with a 20 percent population growth and an even greater 76 percent increase in driving.

"This study confirms that prudent investments in clean air technology simultaneously allow us to improve our environment, our overall quality of life and our economy," Fay observed.

The report marks the first time long-term progress in cleaning the air has been scientifically analyzed in this manner.  Official USEPA figures, provided to the federal government by metropolitan area governments, are the sole basis for the FCAP study.  Cities were ranked by combining both absolute and percentage declines in ozone episodes from 1980-82 to 1997-99; 1999 is the latest year for which comprehensive data is available.  To account for any abnormal individual year discrepancies, the report compared three-year averages from the early 1980s to the late 1990s. The two-decade sweep of the study also was intended to demonstrate long-term progress and was defined specifically to avoid benchmarking today's progress against specific periods of particularly high ozone levels, such as the late 1980s.  A comprehensive description of the study methodology is available on-line at www.cleanairprogress.org .

The study was conducted by Energy and Environmental Analysis, Inc., a respected and independent firm specializing in air quality analysis.  EEA provides a variety of analytical services to numerous local governments and metropolitan planning organizations across the nation.

The Foundation for Clean Air Progress is a non-profit, nonpartisan organization formed in 1995 to provide public education and information about air quality progress.  Its members represent various sectors of business and industry, including energy, transportation, farming, tourism and manufacturing.  Members share the belief that a solid public understanding of the air quality situation in the U.S. is critical to the formation of sound environmental and regulatory policies.  Click on www.cleanairprogress.org for more information about the clean air foundation.

Starting January 18, www.cleanairprogress.org will feature complete information on the clean air study, public attitudes about air quality and other useful information about clean air.  Please bookmark the site for future reference.

CONTACT:  Bill Buff, 202-857-1239, or Mobile: 202-271-6994, for the Foundation for Clean Air Progress.

SOURCE  Foundation for Clean Air Progress  

CO:  Foundation for Clean Air Progress; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency;      Energy and Environmental Analysis, Inc.

ST:  District of Columbia

IN:  ENV

SU:  EXE

01/18/2001 05:00 EST www.prnewswire.com