U.S. EPA Releases Final Air Quality Non-attainment Designations

On Thursday April 15, the U.S. EPA released it’s new findings for air quality designations, labeling much of West Michigan in “non-attainment” status.  Under the EPA’s designation,  Kent and Ottawa Counties are tied together and classified under sub-part 1 "Basic." (on a scale of Basic-Moderate-Serious).  Under the new designation, Kent and Ottawa Counties have until 2009 to reach “attainment” with the EPA’s 8-Hour Ground-Level Ozone standards, with extensions available to 2014. 

The Grand Valley Metro Council is working with both the Michigan Department of Transportation and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality to analyze the impacts of these new air quality designations and develop a strategy for bringing Kent and Ottawa Counties into compliance with the new standards.

The GVMC is cosponsoring “Conversations about Clean Air,” a morning-long regional briefing on the new air quality designations on Monday May 10 at the Loosmore Auditorium on the Pew Campus of Grand Valley State University in downtown Grand Rapids.  Headlined by a presentation from U.S. Representative Vernon Ehlers, the briefing will include briefings from officials at U.S. EPA and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and wrap-up with a panel discussion on the regional impacts of these new air quality designations by key opinion leaders in our area. 

For more information on the new designations visit the U.S. EPA’s web site at: http://www.epa.gov/ozonedesignations and to view the letter from U.S. EPA Administrator Michael O. Leavitt to Governor Jennifer Granholm announcing the new designations view the following pdf.