(June 23, 2004) -- Stronger air pollution control measures will have to be implemented in Imperial County, California, because of recent court decisions. On June 21, the United States Supreme Court declined to review a decision by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordering the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) to reclassify air pollution in Imperial County from "moderate" to "serious" in regard to the amount of pollution from particulate matter.
As a result, the Appeals Court decision of October 9, 2003, will stand, marking the successful end of a long legal battle for EarthJustice, the Sierra Club, and other groups including the American Lung Association of San Diego & Imperial Counties.
Imperial County has the highest asthma hospitalization rates for children fourteen years of age and younger in California, due in part to the serious air quality problems there.
When the EPA classifies Imperial County as having a "serious" particulate matter problem, the region will join Los Angeles, Orange County, parts of Riverside County and the San Joaquin Valley as areas where serious air pollution requires special clean-up measures. Major sources of air pollution in Imperial County are automobile and truck emissions as well as agricultural processes.
"Improving the air quality requires a combined approach of doing more to reduce locally- generated particulates within Imperial County and working on bi-national air pollution control efforts to reduce industrial and traffic-related emissions generated in Mexico," said Jan Cortez, the Vice President for Research and Environmental Health for the American Lung Association of San Diego & Imperial Counties.
"These measures include soil stabilization of farm roads, strict enforcement of dust ordinances, wetting down of construction sites, covering trucks hauling fill, roadside emission testing for diesel trucks, improved controls on open burning, prohibiting tilling of soil on windy days, and placement of windbreaks to prevent windblown erosion."
Currently Imperial County fails to meet federal and state air quality health standards for ozone and particulate matter, failing both the Federal one-hour and 8-hour ozone standards and the state 1-hour ozone standard. It also does not meet the Federal Particulate Matter 10 (PM10) standard and has a history of very high particulate matter levels. The community of Calexico, adjacent to the border, also does not meet the Federal carbon monoxide standard.
The American Lung Association coordinates the Imperial Clean Air Initiative coalition in Imperial Valley/Mexicali to improve air quality and health of citizens in the border region. The Initiative uses a grassroots approach to provide advice to agencies which have jurisdiction in the area, conduct education and outreach to the public, advocate for effective clean air policy and support individuals doing projects related to air quality and health.
The Clean Air Initiative includes representatives of health, governmental, and environmental organizations from both sides of the border, as well as interested individuals. Its mission is to improve the air quality and health in the Imperial and Mexicali bi-national region through education, advocacy, and support. The Initiative is funded by The California Endowment. For information on programs and membership, contact Vivian Perez at (760) 356-5656 ext. 2.
