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2. Goal: Clean Air

Protect and improve air quality and public health by attaining federal standards, using smart growth land use planning, and supporting environmentally preferable travel alternatives.

a. Air Quality Index

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Number of days with Code Orange air quality or higher

High ozone days

Source: Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments

The Clean Air Act establishes air quality standards that identify six pollutants considered harmful to public health and the environment. The Washington, D.C., region, including Montgomery County, does not meet the standards for ground-level ozone and particulate matter. Ozone Action Days are declared when the region’s ozone level exceeds the the standards, and people with difficulty breathing could be at risk. 

Ground-level ozone occurs when oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOC) mix in the presence of sunlight, which is more intense in the summer months. Some of the major sources of NOx and VOC include emissions from industrial facilities and electric utilities, motor vehicle exhaust, gasoline vapors, and chemical solvents.

Breathing ozone can trigger a variety of health problems including chest pain, coughing, throat irritation, and congestion.  It can worsen bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma. Ground-level ozone also can reduce lung function and inflame the linings of the lungs. Repeated exposure may permanently scar lung tissue. Ground-level ozone also damages vegetation and ecosystems. In the United States alone, ozone is responsible for an estimated $500 million in reduced crop production each year.  

Comment on this indicator

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1. Is the number of days with Code Orange air quality or higher an appropriate measure for gauging progress toward clean air?

2a. What is the story behind the trend line for the number of days with Code Orange air quality or higher? The "story behind the trend lines" should be a list, in order of priority, of those root causes that have the greatest influence, positive and negative, on the trend lines for the indicators.  Please bullet and prioritize the top 3-5 root causes.

2b. Assuming there is no substantial change in policy and factoring in any significant variables that might impact the the number of days with Code Orange air quality or higher, what is a reasonable trend forecast?

3. Who are the key partners with a role to play? "Key partners" are those stakeholders (from all sectors and levels of government) with a role to play in addressing the root causes identified in the story behind the trend lines and, thereby, in "turning the curve" of the trend line for the indicators.  Please identify what you think are the top 3-5 key partners and the respective roles you think that they can play.

4. What will work to make a measurable difference? “What will work” means those strategies – actions and policy options – that would work best to change or accelerate the curve of the trend lines for the indicators.  Presumably, policymakers and other stakeholders will be interested in strategies that address the most important root causes identified in the story behind the trend lines, and therefore, will have the most impact on the trend lines of the indicators.  At the same time, they will consider the feasibility of each strategy.  Please bullet and prioritize the top 3-5 strategies.


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