National Ambient Air Quality Standards

In March of 2010 National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) were to be lowered to 0.075, but now EPA is proposing to strengthen the 8-hour “primary” ozone standard, designed to protect public health, to a level within the range of 0.060-0.070 parts per million (ppm). Spartanburg County exceeded the EPA’s 1997 8-hour ozone standard of 0.08 parts per million (ppm) and narrowly attained the standard in December 2007. DHEC data from the Spartanburg monitor has shown average ozone levels at 0.083 parts per million, which is over the EPA current standard of 0.08 parts per million. Spartanburg is only in compliance by virtue of the fact that the EPA rounds figures down.

A non-attainment designation will mean a loss of Federal Highway dollars (Spartanburg County received $ 6m last year) and a loss in economic development opportunities. In two counties alone in Alabama – Jefferson and Shelby – county developers had to pass on 15 projects due to the EPA’s air quality non-attainment designation. These projects represented 11,000 jobs and $ 4.6 billion in capital expenditures from 1990 -2000.