RELATED STORIES In Knox County: Mandatory action could be in wings ET's air pollution failings targeted RELATED LINKS Map: Tennessee's Dirty Air State recommendations on non-attainment areas and EPA response See Tennessee ozone conditions

AROUND THE STATE: Deadlines set for 18 counties to clean up

By RICHARD POWELSON AND TOM HUMPHREY, powelsonr@shns.com tomhumphrey3@aol.com
April 16, 2004

The federal Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday declared 18 Tennessee counties, including Knox and most of its adjoining counties, in violation of federal clean air standards.

The finding forces county and state officials to develop bolder, firmer plans for reducing pollution without curbing economic growth. While the EPA action does not require vehicle emissions testing in Knox or other East Tennessee areas, such testing is one of many options available.

All five counties that are home to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, including two in North Carolina, were cited for having unhealthy air in quantities and frequencies more often than federal law allows. The park averages 32 days a year of clean air law violations.

But Tennessee counties' air, while not meeting U.S. standards, was much better than Los Angeles. Los Angeles was ranked at Level 2, or "severe," the second highest of six levels. Seventeen Tennessee counties have the lowest violation classification, Level 6, or "basic," while Shelby County has Level 4, or "moderate."

Gov. Phil Bredesen, a Democrat, said the "out-of-the-blue" violations were "disturbing to me. It struck me as a little more like a bureaucratic gotcha than an effort to be helpful and productive. We'd like a little more help from Washington.

"Instead, it was: 'We don't think you have filled out the forms to our satisfaction. Now, off with your heads.' "

The EPA in December warned state officials of up to 27 named counties potentially being in violation, and counties had to give the state remedial plans by the end of March.

Each state has up to three years to work out acceptable goals with counties and the EPA to be in compliance by a fixed date, which is later for areas with the worst pollution. Nashville and Tri-Cities have until December 2007 to comply, Knoxville's and Chattanooga's areas have a June 2009 deadline; and the Memphis area, June 2010.

Smokies spokesman Bob Miller said park officials would talk to county officials about options for reducing pollution. The park has no power plants, industrial plants or gas stations within its borders, he said. Modeling showed emissions from visitors' vehicles to be less than 1 percent of the total nitrogen oxide that the five-county area around the park releases into the air.

Park officials do not have authority to limit the number of vehicles entering the park, Miller said.

But Miller said there is "good news in the pipeline" for reducing the frequent haze that impairs viewing the beauty of the Smoky Mountains. He said the Tennessee Valley Authority is putting scrubbers on the two power plants nearest the park: Bull Run and Kingston, which may reduce soot-forming sulphur dioxide by 95 percent while also cutting acid deposition that is harming plants and water life.

Also, Congress is studying legislation that would reduce more pollution harming national parks.

Outside the park, other ways to reduce pollution, Miller said, could be lower speed limits for heavy vehicles to reduce fuel use and emissions, and restricting idling by buses and heavy trucks at overnight stops (where fixed AC/heat electrical units could be used).

Bredesen said autos and trucks are causing much of the pollution in the state, so lower speed limits and emissions testing have to be considered. The Smoky Mountains, while a beautiful tourist attraction, he said, also are blocking prevailing winds and trapping pollution in the area.

The governor said he was trying to contact the EPA administrator, Mike Leavitt, about cooperation and resolving the issues. He also has told Betsy Child, the state environment and conservation commissioner, to prepare a list of options for compliance, and Bredesen will plan a meeting with the mayors of all 18 impacted counties.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., said he would work with federal, state and local government to resolve the air quality issues.

U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., said the EPA decision in Tennessee "shows the seriousness of the clean air challenge." He is backing a bill calling for more air pollution reductions nationally that he has said will do more faster than President Bush's proposal.

"Without help from a stronger federal law," Alexander said, "I don't see any way for the citizens of Knoxville, Chattanooga or Memphis to clean the air enough to come into compliance."

Tennessee is one of 31 states with 474 counties violating clear air laws, EPA said. About 159 million Americans, a majority, live in the areas with too much smog.

Most of the U.S. land area - 2,668 counties - in 19 states is in compliance.

Leavitt stressed that most of the air across the country is "not dirty." While most air was getting cleaner from long-time, ongoing emissions reductions, he said, "These new rules are about our new understanding of health threats - about our standards getting tougher and our national resolve to meet them."

Smog is formed from ground-level ozone that is heated by sunlight. The ozone is produced from a variety of emissions: paint and gasoline vapors, fossil-fuel plants, and motor vehicles.

High levels of smog, when inhaled, can be dangerous for those with respiratory problems, especially small children and the elderly, and for adults spending much time outdoors.

Richard Powelson in Washington may be reached at 202-408-2727. Tom Humphrey in Nashville may be reached at 615-242-7782.

Copyright 2004, Knoxville News-Sentinel Co. Click for permission to reprint