Press Mention Charlotte Observer August 21, 2003
SACE Quoted
Proposal would weaken rules
In this mention
The article discusses Knox County's air quality improvement proposals, including vehicle emissions checks and truck stop electrification. Stephen Smith of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy expresses concern that EPA deferral policies will allow politicians to avoid necessary air quality decisions. The TVA's pollution share is expected to drop significantly due to coal plant pollution controls.
give wiggle room for politicians to avoid making the difficult decisions that need to be made
Stephen A. Smith
Original clipping
PDF didn't open? Open it in a new tab →
Full transcript
Proposal would weaken rules
One proposal would require vehicle emissions checks before motorists are issued license plates. Another would force truck stops to provide electricity on their lots, so parked rigs did not have to keep their engines idling overnight for heating or cooling.
"We listed a menu of items we thought could improve air quality," said Mike Arms, chief of staff to Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale. "We tried to make it a good mix."
Other proposals counties could choose include retrofitting school buses for lower emissions, making government fleets less polluting and improving traffic flow.
Counties could choose from the list based on their budgets and needs, said Lynne Liddington, Knox County's air quality management director.
Before area leaders can decide what programs to implement, the state must complete its computer forecasts based on pollution data and the anticipated effects of the proposals, Liddington said.
According to the American Lung Association, Knoxville has the worst air quality among major Tennessee cities, and the ninth worst in the country. Air quality is a major concern in the nearby Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
A University of Tennessee study shows vehicles account for two-thirds of all ozone pollutants affecting East Tennessee.
The Tennessee Valley Authority's share is expected to drop from 26 percent in 1999 to 11 percent in 2007 because of a $2.6 billion effort to install pollution controls at its coal-fired power plants.
The cost of complying with the new standards is not known, but area officials say the price of procrastination is high.
"Basically, it's the equivalent of a scarlet letter for economic development," Arms said of being labeled a polluted area.
Environmental groups have criticized the EPA's deferral policy, suing the agency in federal court this year for not taking the steps to implement the new standards.
Stephen Smith, of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, said he worries the deferral policy will "give wiggle room for politicians to avoid making the difficult decisions that need to be made."
Arms said governments, businesses and individuals in the region must come together to improve air quality.
"Unless we give it a 100 percent effort, we're not going to make it," Arms said. "It's a matter of setting priorities and going out and doing it."