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Region must keep improving air quality
Guest Column for The Tennessean, 4.7.08
By Laura Artates

Since 2003, the Middle Tennessee community has significantly ramped up its efforts to reduce the amount of ozone in the air, and the work has paid off.

In February, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Middle Tennessee would be designated as one of 13 areas in the nation to have met federal ozone standards ahead of schedule. We were able to do this through public transportation infrastructure improvements such as the Music City Star, expanded vehicle emissions testing to cover small trucks and SUVs, synchronized traffic signals, expanded greenways and bicycle lanes, and the air quality alert and outreach program, among others.

But we can't stop now. The EPA has since announced they will be updating the ozone standard for the first time in 10 years, putting our region at risk of not meeting the new, lower ozone limits. This means that even though our air quality has improved, the bar has been raised, and we will be seeing more "Air Alert" days than ever. With cars and trucks contributing more than 50 percent of ozone-causing air pollution, it is critical that we keep getting smarter about transportation.

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