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The Environmental Protection Agency announced in March that it was reevaluating its air quality standard for fine-particulate matter, also called soot.
That sparked concern for Mecklenburg County Commissioner Elaine Powell during Tuesday’s county environmental stewardship meeting.
“As we talk about the federal health-based standards that we’re meeting — which is wonderful — there are threats,” Powell said. “How are we preparing for the threats?”
The county is compliant with the current standard and has been compliant with federal standards for the last 10 years. County air quality program manager Megan Green said that’s not going to change.
“Our mission is to make sure that we have healthy air here and that we’re protective of public health,” Green said. “We’re going to continue that work, even as standards change.”
That work includes initiatives like August’s Fresh Air Rides campaign, in which the city and county challenged commuters to reduce single-occupancy vehicle trips — in total, county commuters avoided 1,700 trips and 16,500 miles.
