Maine ozone cutbacks praised

The following appeared in the Bangor Daily News on December 12, 2006. Although I would agree there has been forward progress in regard to ozone levels in Maine, I think the EPA needs to tighten the standards. New evidence is coming out almost daily about the adverse health effects resulting from our continued use of fossil fuels to drive our society. The bottom line is that no amount of air pollution should be considered acceptable.

Bangor Daily News


The federal government recognized Maine’s efforts to reduce smog on Monday by removing nine midcoast and Portland-area counties from a list of locations with ground-level ozone problems.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s decision means that all Maine counties now meet federal air quality standards for ground-level ozone.

While not necessarily a clean bill of health, the re-designation shows that Maine is making progress with its air pollution programs, state officials said.

The nine counties removed from the EPA’s "non-attainment" list are: Hancock, Waldo, Knox, Lincoln, Kennebec, Androscoggin, Sagadahoc, Cumberland and York.

"While Maine is now meeting the federal ozone standard, there remains room for air quality improvement," David Littell, commissioner of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, said in a statement. "We need to continue working with [the] EPA and upwind states to further reduce emissions of ozone precursors and other pollutants, including mercury from power plants."

Ground-level ozone is a component of smog formed when pollutants from vehicles, smokestacks and other sources react chemically with intense sunlight. High levels of ozone, which occur most frequently during summer, can harm the respiratory system or exacerbate existing breathing problems.

The dangers of ground-level ozone are most acute for the very young, the elderly or the sick but can also affect healthy adults working or exercising outside on hot summer days.

In 1988, Maine reported 34 days when ozone levels were considered unhealthful to sensitive groups. But the number of unhealthful days have steadily dropped, with just two days reported during the summer of 2006.

Jim Brooks, head of the DEP’s Bureau of Air Quality, attributed the improvements to more stringent emissions levels in Maine combined with pollution reductions in upwind states.

Brooks said ozone problems were so severe during the 1980s that he never thought the state would come into attainment of the EPA standards before he retired.

"I’m very pleased. This is a milestone," Brooks said.

Mainers will likely continue to see warnings about unhealthful ozone levels on some hot summer days despite the federal designation, however. That is because ozone levels can rise above healthful levels for several hours without violating the 8-hour standard used by the EPA.

The EPA is also considering whether to lower the current air quality standard, now set at 84 parts per billion, to reflect new scientific evidence on the health effects of ground-level ozone.

The American Lung Association and other health groups have argued that the 84 parts-per-billion standard is much too high.

A lower standard could affect Maine’s attainment status, Brooks said.