News Release 428

DEPARTMENT AWARDS MORE THAN $25,000
TO ST. LOUIS REGIONAL AIR QUALITY PLANNERS

Volume 36-428

Contact: Renee Bungart

(For immediate release)

573-751-4465

JEFFERSON CITY, MO, JULY 24, 2008 -- The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has awarded $25,825 to fund air quality planning programs in the St. Louis area.  The grant is a combination of federal and state dollars and will be used to fund air quality planning endeavors from July 1 to June 30.

This subgrant is awarded to the East-West Gateway Council of Governments, which serves as a partner to the state for air quality planning and education in the St. Louis area. A portion of the grant will be used to fund regional air quality public education programs. These programs serve to educate St. Louis area residents about the importance of protecting air quality and the steps they can take every day to reduce their impact.

The East-West Gateway Council of Governments also assists the state by reviewing ozone data reported from the Missouri and Illinois sides of St. Louis to facilitate information sharing and to ensure quality assured data is available to regional air quality planners. Access to quality assured data allows state air quality planners to develop the necessary strategies to improve air quality in the area.  The East-West Gateway Council of Governments has been designated as the lead air quality-planning agency for the St. Louis region since June 1994. 

The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 classified the St. Louis region as a "moderate" non-attainment area based on the one-hour ozone standard.  As a result, the states of Illinois and Missouri were required to develop ozone control strategies and a State Implementation Plan.  Currently, the region has been reclassified as a "moderate" non-attainment area under the new and more restrictive eight-hour ozone standard.  The East-West Gateway Council of Governments ongoing assistance will help to coordinate the monitoring of the plan in the St. Louis region as well as other ongoing air quality activities.

Exposure to ground-level ozone, or smog, can contribute to health problems. Those who suffer from asthma, heart disease, emphysema and other respiratory diseases may experience increased breathing difficulty. Long-term exposure to high levels of ozone can even cause healthy adults to experience breathing difficulty, especially those who exercise or work outdoors. 

For news releases on the Web, visit www.dnr.mo.gov/newsrel. For a complete listing of the department's upcoming meetings, hearings and events, visit the department's online calendar at www.dnr.mo.gov/calendar/search.do.

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