News Releases - 2001

Illinois EPA Responds To American Lung Association Study

Springfield, Ill. -- Illinois continues to be a national leader in improving the quality of our air, particularly in reducing the pollutants that cause smog, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Director Tom Skinner noted today.

Skinner said the American Lung Association's "grades" today based on the eight-hour standard are misleading. This standard was only recently upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.

"There have been no violations of the one-hour average standard for ground-level ozone(smog) in the Illinois portion of the Chicago Metropolitan area for the past two years and we are developing strategies that will also address the recently finalized new eight-hour average standard," Skinner said.

"U.S. EPA has acknowledged it will take several years for states to implement additional strategies and controls to meet the new standard."

"Further, it is noteworthy that even under the Lung Association's analysis, using an eight-hour standard, the Chicago metro area---third largest in the nation---was not one of the 'Worst 25' metro areas in the country in the national Lung association report issued today," Skinner added.

Governor Ryan and Illinois EPA have already proposed a significant reduction of one of the pollutants from power plants and large industrial boilers that contribute most to smog formation---nitrogen oxides, typically carried hundreds of miles before they are a factor in ground-level ozone.

In December 2000, regulations submitted by Illinois EPA to the Illinois Pollution Control Board to substantially reduce the amount of nitrogen oxides that power plants can emit into the air were adopted and submitted to USEPA.

They would require all power plants to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions to no more than .15 pounds per million Btu by May 31, 2004. This will result in an estimated 72 percent reduction from the 1995 emission levels of nitrogen oxides.

"We are moving forward on a NOx cap that the Lung Association and other environmental groups have supported in state legislation. We believe this will not only achieve full compliance with the one-hour standard but will give us an early boost toward meeting an eight-hour standard as well," Skinner said.

He noted Illinois EPA continues to work with legislators and other interested parties on potential strategies to reduce other pollutants from power plants as well.

The Agency also continues to work with hundreds of groups, including the American Lung Association to give early warnings to citizens, particularly sensitive populations, such as asthmatics, when weather conditions are conducive to unhealthy ozone concentrations. The "Ozone Action Days" through Partners for Clean Air have been highly successful in the Chicago metro area on this front.