The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency should not back off of its plan to designate Scott, Rock Island and Muscatine counties as non-attainment for fine particulate pollution.
The non-attainment action will force the state of Iowa and Illinois to begin the long-term, and long overdue, process to reduce PM 2.5 (particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometers) in the entire bi-state area.
PM 2.5 emissions are harmful to all residents, but especially the very young and elderly, susceptible to the development of asthma and serious lung ailments. Only through implementation of a broad regional approach to PM 2.5 emissions will people of all ages be able to enjoy the basic right to breathe clean air.
The EPA has been attempting to control and reduce fine particulate matter in the United States for more than 10 years. Industry groups, with the help of an unsupportive administration, helped sidetrack particulate regulations in federal court, claiming the EPA did not have the jurisdiction.
The issue eventually came before the U.S. Supreme Court, which sided with the EPA.
Now that the EPA has identified our three-county area as "non-attainment" for PM 2.5, local industries, along with several governmental entities, are lobbying the EPA to reconsider the designation or much more narrowly define the non-attainment area to small neighborhoods near two of the worst emitters.
It should do neither.
Designating the entire area as non-attainment is the only way to impact regional PM 2.5 emissions, and to fairly and equally share of the responsibility to improve air quality.
A small area designation around two major emitters - Grain Processing Corp. (Muscatine) and Blackhawk Foundry (Davenport) – might help those living next door to the plants, but won't impact the rest of the region. Nine of the top 10 industrial emitters of PM 2.5 - Muscatine Power and Water, Alcoa, IPSCO Steel, Lafarge (Davenport Cement), MidAmerican Energy (Riverside Generating Station), Sivyer Steel, Linwood Mining & Minerals Corp., Nichols Aluminum and Central Iowa Power (Fair Generating Station) - would not have to do anything. They could even increase their PM 2.5 emissions under such a restricted finding.
Not coincidentally, a number of those same, large industrial emitters of PM 2.5 are funding a "sponsored research" project by a University of Iowa professor in hopes it will cast doubt on the source of local PM 2.5 emissions. Such "just-in-time" science, with no peer review process, should be filed by EPA under unsubstantiated theories.
And, not surprisingly, opponents of the proposed EPA action have raised the specter of job loss and industrial decline. The Iowa Department of Economic Development even claims one firm with a local plant has cited the looming designation as a reason for expanding elsewhere.
If firms truly take such a short-sighted, selfish view towards environmental protection and the health of their workers and families in our community, imagine what the future portends without comprehensive PM 2.5 designations around the country and environmental policy driven by economic development rather than public health.
By investing in better technology, respecting the environment and being responsible citizens, companies can achieve a sustainable partnership benefitting workers, the community and their business. The alternative is a decline in our air quality, a lower quality of life, and, ultimately, a less attractive place for new business and industry.
The EPA is correct in its decision to designate the entire three-county area as non-attainment, and local industries and governments should quit wringing their hands and get to work cleaning up air emissions.
