Last week, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards announced that his entire state had reached attainment with U.S. EPA’s ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard. EPA set the standard at 70 parts per billion in 2015. When the amendments to the Clean Air Act were set in 1990, the state had 20 parishes in the nonattainment category for safe ozone levels.
To achieve compliance, the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality coordinated with government and environmental groups and with industry in the development of Ozone Action Plans, stricter regulations, and Ozone Action Days. “The public benefits from lowered ozone levels which can impact their quality of health. It can also benefit business and the health of our economy,” said Governor Edwards.
Edwards thanked Secretary Chuck Carr Brown and his team at the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, “along with their partners statewide who are making great progress toward improving Louisiana’s environment.”
