Air+Quality

__**Air Quality**__
Overview: Predictably, the poorest air quality in the state is to be found in its urban areas (the Charlotte metropolitan area, Triangle, and Triad), while air quality surrounding these areas is relatively good (there is a history of severe acid rain and poor visibility in the highest Appalachian elevations, due to sulfur from Midwest power plants).Ground level ozone, largely from vehicle emissions, is also an increasing problem (Charlotte was ranked 8th worst in the nation in 2009!). Driving miles by North Carolinians have been increasing at triple the population growth! North Carolina ranks as one of the most coal-dependent states (62% of its current energy), and almost all of its coal is imported, at a cost of over $2 billion a year, especially from West Virginia (the last major local mine closed in the 1920s). In turn these energy demands foster environmentally damaging practices in West Virginia, notably mountain-top removal (some North Carolina legislators are trying to get a ban passed on the state's purchase of removal-generated coal). Coal burning, mainly for electricity, causes a host of pollution problems (the state's other major energy source is nuclear, which has its own set of issues), including water pollution from the coal ash waste lagoons. The power plant pollution issue caused the state to pass the Clean Smokestacks Act in 2002, mandating a 75% cut of harmful emissions by 2013. While mercury emissions are not regulated, the two major Triangle power utilities, Progress Energy and Duke Energy, are specifically banned from trading with other national utilities for emission credits; in other words they have to actually cut emissions from their 14 local plants (which account for 70% of mercury pollution, which has turned up in local fish). Progress Energy has already spent $2 billion on new scrubbers for their smokestacks, and is in the process of shutting down its old units without scrubbers. Despite some improvements, the utilities are now drawing more and more protests for their plans to build even more coal-powered plants, such as Duke Energy's new unit at the Cliffside plant near Charlotte (the protests being furthered by the announcement that the utility plans to raise rates by over 12% to cover the construction cost!). Also University of North Carolina students, supported by the Sierra Club, are trying to get the university's coal-fired power plant replaced by a renewable source. As for other air quality sources, open burning of anything has been regulated by the state since 1971. An unusual, but significant, air pollutant in the eastern part of the state is methane from hog waste (North Carolina is second only to Iowa in hog production), which is stored in huge open-air lagoons! New research also shows that kudzu, a notorious invasive vine which can cover whole buildings, is also releasing ground-level ozone! In 2005, the state established a Legislative Commission on Climate Change to study the issue of global warming (a major hazard to the state, which has large barrier island and coastal plains areas vulnerable to rising sea levels). Obviously air quality also falls within federal regulation (the Environmental Protection Agency), since winds constantly blow pollutants between states. The EPA is in the process of enforcing tough new regulations on mercury and sulfur & nitrogen dioxides (reducing carbon dioxide being a major national and international policy issue that has yet to receive major legislation). As is evident below, air quality issues in the Piedmont have so far not led to as much response as alternative energy demands or water quality issues. Meantime, North Carolina continues to emit more carbon dioxide than 186 nations!

Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League -http://www.bredl.org This Southeastern environmentalist group publicizes pollution issues, including air pollution from burning medical waste, etc. The site also has a link to a map of the locations and emission details for each coal-fired power plant.

Clean Air Carolina -http://www.cleanaircarolina.org This Charlotte-based nonprofit is exploring many ways to combat the state's air pollution, particularly the ozone from vehicles, and monitors federal & state legislation.

EnviroFlash http://www.enviroflash.info A subscription service that provides daily air quality bulletins (see also the EPA's http://www.airnow.gov, which does the same for free!).

Environmental Defense Fund -http://www.environmentaldefensefund.org This national environmentalist group is pushing for the state to adopt the Clean Cars Program of high emission standards, which would include advanced vehicle technologies.

Environment North Carolina -http://www.environmentnorthcarolina.org/reports/clean-air/clean-air-program-reports/air-pollution-and-public-health-in-north-carolina2 A Clean Air report with statistics on the specific damages to health in the state from air pollution.

N. C. Climate Action Plan Advisory Group (CAPAG) http://www.ncclimatechange.us/ The state organization charged with coming up with SPECIFIC recommendations for legislation to respond to climate change. It is being helped by the Center for Climate Strategies, a nongovernmental national organization.

N.C. Conservation Network -http://www.ncconservationnetwork.org/issues/air_issues A page that monitors air quality issues for the state.

N.C. Division of Air Quality -http://daq.state.nc.us/ The agency, within the Department of Environment & Natural Resources, responsible for monitoring air quality. The home page has a link to the N.C. Air Quality Forecast Center (http://xapps.enr.state.nc.us/aq/ForecastCenter) which plots current & predicted air quality by county throughout the state.

NC WARN http://www.ncwarn.org/ The chief environmentalist group opposing Duke's Cliffside coal-fired plant, as part of phasing out all such plants in the state.

Risk Assessment of Ambient Ozone Concentrations Found in North Carolina -http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:3CXqnvmqSYIJ:www.epi.state.nc.us/epi/oee/ozone/ozonewhitepaper.pdf+north+carolina+ozone+pollution&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEEShSm16XUxSpgDIKa-zgOCnMKyLqoENnfH2rx4JoesTzl1S_sftlGg1vFVnNxJugdGuR9bUTwIye64_-zBfivZKtdnxYsRsUC1W4iL-1uSKGX34Y8-Uy8Df6Ugyi0oSKiwWmyHN1&sig=AHIEtbS3XTcNv8glGALO9pXHjf-f2GUN_Q A dated (1999) but detailed study of the harm caused by ozone in the state.

Triangle Air Awareness Program -http://daq.state.nc.us/airaware/ Part of the N.C. Air Awareness Program run by the Division of Air Quality, with local "coordinators" (the one for the Triangle is Jonathan Navarro, http://www.triangleairawareness.org).The goal is to enhance public awareness of specific pollutants and of the health hazards associated with each.

UNC Center for Environmental Medicine, Asthma, and Lung Biology A research institute cooperating with the EPA to study the health effects of air pollution.