By Megan Alley
Sun staff
Warm summers and stricter air quality standards may lead to less permits for industry.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency sets the standards for six criteria pollutants considered harmful to public health and the environment, including carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, ozone and particulate matter.
The EPA reviews and updates these standards every five years, a process that is set to occur this fall.
Even with cooler than normal summers in 2013 and 2014, Clermont County is already out of compliance for ozone several days a year, and with the stricter standards, the county could be out of compliance for up to 66 days per year.
“It is very important for our region to be in compliance with these air quality standards because it has a direct relation with economic development,” said Hamilton County Environmental Services Director Holly Christmann in a presentation to Clermont County commissioners on April 22. “If we don’t meet these standards, there is the distinct possibility, and it does happen, that it’ll be harder to issue air permits for industries.”
Hamilton County Environmental Services administers the Southwest Ohio Air Quality Agency, which serves Butler, Clermont, Hamilton and Warren counties. The agency monitors air quality and regulates industrial air emissions.
Megan Hummel, public relations coordinator for Hamilton County Environmental Services, asked the commissioners to share air quality information with county employees via employee newsletters, signage and social media posts. She also asked the commissioners to put an air quality business plan in place, with action items that include suspending mowing, promoting alternative modes of transportation, installing motion sensor lights and not idling cars.