The Winds of Change

The Winds of Change

The consequences of dirty air are too severe to ignore

In what's become the same old song and dance, Knoxville has again placed among the 10 cities with the worst air in the country, ranking at No. 9 this year.

Although the region has yet to make any significant progress in reducing ozone pollution, local officials are starting to realize they have to do something. Knoxville and the surrounding area are in the imminent threat of being declared a non-attainment area by the Environmental Protection Agency because it has had consistently high ozone pollution.

Such a designation has much more immediate and tangible effects than the harder to imagine environmental and health damage air pollution causes.

"It's almost like a scarlet letter of industrial recruiting," says Mike Arms, Knox county commissioner and the county's chief of staff.

Industries won't locate in non-attainment areas, because there are too many extra regulations and legal loops to jump through regarding air emissions, Arms says. Non-attainment areas are also at risk for losing federal transportation funds, he says.

The EPA is expected to declare this region a non-attainment area in April 2004. However, the Bush Administration has created an escape clause for regions threatened with non-attainment, says Stephen Smith, executive director of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE).

By creating an "early action compact" that shows they're taking air quality seriously, non-attainment areas can get a reprieve, Smith says. The compact outlines what actions local governments and the state will take to reduce emissions and reach attainment.

"What's really motivated [County Executive] Mikel Ragsdale and everybody to find religion on clean air is they see this non-attainment designation coming at them," Smith says. Not that Smith is complaining.

"We've got some concerns [with their approach], but as a general rule, it's a good thing that they're taking a look at this," Smith says.

TVA's old coal-powered plants have been blamed for much of the pollution in this area. After years of criticism and lawsuits from environmentalists, the utility company is now making major pollution reductions at its coal plants. "When it comes to this particular pollutant, ozone, we're seeing TVA is making significant improvements that are just coming into play," Smith says. "But even with TVA's reductions, we've got to do more."

A lot of things are contributing to ozone pollution—people are driving more in less-efficient vehicles, there's a great deal of diesel truck traffic coming through Knoxville on Interstates 40 and 75. People are using too much energy (Knoxville has one of the highest per capita energy use rates in the country, probably because energy is so cheap here), and the geography and weather are also conducive to ozone formation.

This is where the local governments come in. Late last month, 12 county executives from East Tennessee met at UT to talk about ways they could reduce air pollution. The counties have to have a compact drawn up by June, Arms says. The four areas they're looking at include energy efficiency, alternative fuels, steps to take on high ozone days, and commuter choices, he says.

It's too early to say what actions the counties will decide on, but it will involve a variety of programs encouraging conservation and possibly penalties and checks to limit polluting behavior.

For instance, on high ozone days, using gas-powered lawn equipment might be restricted. Vehicle emission checks might also be required, Arms says. "They do them in Nashville," he says. "They do them in about every area that is in a non-attainment zone. That may be something we have to do."

The counties will also be pushing more efficient transportation programs and energy conservation. They also hope to get truckers to plug into electric power systems at rest stops, instead of idling their engines for hours.

"The real easy for people to say this is industry and this is TVA. That is it. But there's also the part we generate and something we can do something about," Arms says.

Groups like the American Lung Association and SACE have long been declaring the environmental and health consequences of air pollution. Knoxville's been on the American Lung Association's worst ozone cities since it started ranking them in 2000. Last year, the city ranked 8th.

Ozone is formed when nitrogen oxides react with oxygen, sunlight and volatile compounds released by cars, oil and chemical facilities, and some natural sources. Ozone eats the lungs and can cause headaches, burning eyes and shortness of breath. There's some evidence it can lead to chronic lung diseases, especially in children. People with asthma are especially at risk.

Ozone levels are usually the highest during warm months. People can reduce ozone levels by driving less, carpooling, keeping the cars tuned up, and using electric lawn equipment. During warm months, filling gas tanks at night also helps.

For more information, visit the Lung Association's website at www.lungusa.org.

—Joe Tarr