PHOENIX (AZFamily)<\/b> \u2014 The EPA granted the Phoenix area an exemption from stricter air quality regulations, citing international emissions from Asia and Mexico that are outside local control.<\/p>\n
Under existing Clean Air Act regulations, the area was set to be reclassified from \u201cmoderate\u201d to \u201cserious,\u201d which would have triggered additional restrictions. But that\u2019s now not the case, as the new exemption applies to Maricopa, Gila and Pinal counties.<\/p>\n
The Maricopa Association of Governments said it has been advocating for the exemption since the Biden administration.<\/p>\n
EPA cites international sources<\/p>\n
The EPA said international emissions from Asia and Mexico contribute to the region\u2019s air quality problems. Matthew Poppen, director of environmental planning with MAG, said there is an 80\/20 split between what can be controlled locally and what is outside local control.<\/p>\n
That 80 percent outside local control includes smog from other countries along with naturally occurring sources like wildfires and lightning strikes, Poppen said. If international sources were eliminated, the region would meet air quality goals, he said.<\/p>\n
MAG is the region\u2019s lead air quality planning agency. The group hired an outside consultant and said models show spring smog travels from Asia to the West Coast and Arizona. During the annual monsoon, air flow changes and brings pollution from Mexico.<\/p>\n
Environmental groups criticize decision<\/p>\n
Steve Brittle, a longtime environmentalist and founder of Don\u2019t Waste Arizona<\/a>, criticized the exemption.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the dodge that is designed to protect polluters and not really get to the root of the problem,\u201d Brittle said.<\/p>\n Brittle said the EPA\u2019s reasoning was flawed.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s like science fiction. It really isn\u2019t the way things work,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Current regulations remain in place<\/p>\n Poppen said the exemption does not eliminate existing air quality measures.<\/p>\n \u201cAll it does is keep us at the current status quo so all the control measures that currently exist and we have over 93 of them that have been implemented over time to help reduce ozone locally, those all stay in place,\u201d Poppen said.<\/p>\n The Clean Air Act remains in place, and MAG said it will continue working to improve air quality.<\/p>\n The exemption provides certainty for business, industry and residents moving forward, Poppen said.<\/p>\n According to the American Lung Association, Phoenix is the fourth-worst U.S. city for ozone.<\/p>\n See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it<\/a>.<\/p>\n Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here<\/a> with a brief description.<\/p>\n