No Time To Breathe Easy:
The Upstate Must Continue to Push for Cleaner Air

     At a meeting in Spartanburg on June 24, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control made an announcement that took many people by surprise. According to an air quality model that DHEC has just completed, changes already underway at the federal level – cleaner-burning fuels, stricter emissions standards, and the like – will be sufficient to bring the Upstate into compliance with the ozone standard by 2007.

This is good news, for air quality in the Upstate has been on a downward trend for several decades.

In South Carolina, the amount of driving (top line) is increasing at three times the rate of population growth (bottom line). The middle line is the number of registered vehicles.
Data Source: S.C. Department of Transportation

But the danger is that some may see the results of DHEC’s model as making it unnecessary to pursue the local air quality strategies and measures recommended by the regional committee (see “Clean Air Strategies,” on page 12) – that now we can all relax and get back to business as usual.

Such a response not only would be unfortunate, it also would violate the EAC. Under the EAC, the three counties must have “specific, quantified, and permanent” local measures in place as soon as practicable but not later than December 31, 2005. There is no exemption from this requirement based on what a model predicts.

Only 2 Cents Worth!

Data Source: Ernst, Michelle and Barbara McCann, “Mean Streets 2000,” Surface Transportation Policy Project, 2002. Illustration by Upstate Forever.

There is good reason why no such exemption appears in the agreement. A model is just that – a hypothetical and approximate representation of reality, not reality itself. According to David Farren, a Clean Air Act expert who works for the Southern Environmental Law Center, this is the case with the model in question. “The history of the Clean Air Act has been one of widespread failure to meet modeled goals,” Farren explained. “The models are consistently overly optimistic, and are constantly being changed.” For example, the model for Atlanta underestimated actual emissions by 30% to 40%!

Even if the model is correct, it shows that the Upstate will barely comply with the ozone standard. We must move ahead with adoption and implementation of the local air quality measures – not only because we are legally required to do so, but because it is the right thing to do.

Without question the most important measures relate to the primary source of nitrogen oxides: vehicle emissions. In South Carolina during the last 15 years, the amount of driving – referred to by experts as “Vehicle Miles Traveled” (VMTs) – has increased by 45 per cent, which is three times the rate of population growth. We must directly and aggressively address the “VMT problem” through tough and effective land use and transportation policies. Clean air depends on it.

Clean Air Strategies In The Upstate Plan

1. Support DHEC statewide efforts to reduce ozone levels.

2. Designate an Ozone Action Coordinator.

3. Seek low sulfur fuels as early as possible.

4. Design and implement congestion management and Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) measures.

5. Promote the use of hybrid vehicles.

6. Use higher efficiency engines for school buses.

7. Develop incentive programs and opportunities for citizens to choose alternative transportation modes.

8. Review and update air emission inventory for the Upstate.

9. Support DHEC in evaluating and seeking reductions from major sources .

10. Develop a program offering to purchase or repair smoking vehicles (known as “cash for clunkers”).

11. Ban open-burning of on-site commercial clearing debris during ozone season (April to October).

12. Create incentives for the purchase of high efficiency and low emission vehicles.

13. Use land-use and transportation planning to improve air quality.

14. Implement a program to encourage use of green power.

15. Promote route efficiency for delivery vehicles, trash collection, and the like.

16. Establish a clean air partnership with business and industry.

17. Establish an active public awareness campaign.

18. Promote research in energy efficiency at local universities, industries, energy companies, federal government, and other institutions that improve air quality.

19. Promote the use of alternate fuels.

20. Evaluate the use of High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes using existing lanes.

21. Modify speed limits for optimum fuel efficiency.

22. Develop a process for evaluating and minimizing impact of major projects such as shopping centers, schools, and subdivisions.

23. Promote community schools to reduce vehicle miles traveled and encourage biking and walking for students and parents by encouraging smaller community-based schools that are integrated into neighborhoods.


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