Houston Chronicle April 30, 2001,

Houston ranked 5th-worst in U.S. for ozone violations

By BILL DAWSON Houston will get a failing grade for its air quality today when the American Lung Association issues its annual air-quality report.

The report, called State of the Air: 2001, ranks metropolitan areas based on an assessment of how severely they violated a new standard for ozone, smog's chief ingredient.

According to the association's statistical yardstick, the Houston metropolitan area had the fifth-worst ozone problem from 1997 through 1999. That is the latest three-year period with federally certified data, the group said.

Houston grabbed national attention in 1999 and again in 2000 when it logged the nation's worst ozone record, based on an older pollution standard.

Paul Billings, the Lung Association's assistant vice president for government relations, said Houstonians should take no solace from the area's slightly better ranking in his group's report.

"It's one of the dirtiest cities by anyone's measure," Billings said.

Meeting either the old or the new ozone standard -- and Houston will be required to do both -- presents a "formidable" task, he said.

Ozone is created when air pollutants mix. The old standard's maximum allowable level is an average one-hour measurement of 0.12 parts per million of ozone.

The new standard, adopted by the Clinton administration and challenged by business groups in court, establishes a stricter maximum -- an average eight-hour measurement of 0.08 parts per million.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the new standard in a unanimous ruling, but the Bush administration has not announced how it will implement and enforce it.

The state's far-reaching smog-reduction plan for Houston, adopted in December, was designed to comply with the old standard, which legally remains in effect alongside the new one. Officials have said they believe the emission cuts for the old plan will help move the area toward compliance with the new standard as well.

Houston's No. 1 ozone ranking for the last two years was based on a federal standard for comparing metropolitan areas' ozone violations.

This method ranks urban areas by the number of days they recorded at least one ozone reading above the one-hour standard.

The American Lung Association devised its own ranking method, including a point system based on the eight-hour standard.

Using this comparison, the Los Angeles area had the worst ozone record for 1997-99. Three other California metropolitan areas -- Bakersfield, Fresno and Visalia-Tulare-Porterville -- held the second through fourth spots, followed by Houston.

The only other Texas area in the Lung Association's ranking of the 25 areas with the worst ozone records was Dallas-Fort Worth, in 14th place.

-- (Paracelsus@Pb.Au), May 01, 2001

Answers

We have it real bad here in Birmingham, too. The problem here is topography and the roads. The city itself is in a natural "dish," a low area surrounded by hills. Thus, any smog that settles into the "dish" takes forever to clear out unless the winds happen to be blowing in the right direction.

Add in the fact that I-65 and I-20/59 run right through the downtown area and you can see the problem. 65 is a major artery between Mobile and Chattanooga, and 20, of course, is the main East-West route through Atlanta, Dallas, etc. TONS of heavy trucking goes through here.

Finally, blend in the fact that Bubba doesn't always tune his truck quite according to schedule (you oughta see some of the clunkers that grace our highways here[g]), and you gets ozone. Lotsa and lotsa ozone.

-- Stephen M. Poole (smpoole7@bellsouth.net), May 01, 2001.

The Bluest Sky's You've Ever Seen Are In Seattle

If you don't like our rain you can move back to smoggy Los Angeles. Every other year your car has to pass emissions standards or you do not get to renew your licence plates. So Bubba has to get his clunker tuned up or it will cost him. I don't and won't complain about the rain. I was standing outside in the rain yesterday, poluting the envirioment with a few other folks (no inside smoking anywhere around here) and One said something about wishing the rain to go away, the other said NO! I love nbreathing in this clear fresh air, I'm from New York. The other said Me too, I'm from New York and love it here, which part are you from? From that point I was lost as they talked about their neighborhoods back home. The strange thing was that we used to have those damn Californians move here and complain about the rain, now we are getting people from as far away as NY,NY who have discovered our little pristine area. It's snowing in the hills~~In MAY!!! Strange changes in the wheather these days. Global warming?

-- Cherri (jessam5@home.com), May 01, 2001.

Mr. Poole, I-65 does not go to Chattanooga. It goes due north to Nashville. You could, however, take I-59 to the northeast out of Birmingham to go more-or-less straight to Chattanooga. Just a helping hand, there.

-- Georgia Bidnessman (zell.is@good.man.com), May 01, 2001.

Cherri

We had the emissions test here in Duval County (NE FL) for years. Not sure why though. They finally did stop them a couple years ago simply because it wasn't making a difference. I remember hearing they weren't testing for the right bad stuff.

The last inspection I went though - some dude in front of me had all kinds of smoke/exhaust coming out of the tailpipe. His engine stalled about 5 times while we were in line. He goes through and passes with no problems. Couldn't believe it! Knew right then and there it was a waste of time/money. If they could ever make it work, it would be worthwhile.

There's plenty of 'Bubbas' down here too.

Deano

-- Deano (deano@luvthebeach.com), May 01, 2001.

Poole,

Is Bham still a steel town? I wouldn't think that helps air quality.

-- (Paracelsus@Pb.Au), May 01, 2001.