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Environment

How's The Air In NC? EPA Results Are Here

WUNC | By Gurnal Scott
Published August 28, 2014 at 3:36 PM EDT
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eutrophication&hypoxia

North Carolina is meeting a new national standard for reducing particle pollution. 

The federal Environmental Protection Agency has notified Governor Pat McCrory that it will officially designate that the state is in compliance this coming December. 

State air quality experts say particle pollution can reach dangerous levels at any time during the year. 

Tom Mather, spokesman for the state Department of Environment and Natural Resources, says the state has been able to maintain the air particle standard of 12 micrograms per cubic meter since it was set in December of 2012.

"The big reason here ...is the Clean Smokestacks Act which was passed by the General Assembly in 2002...and it required all the coal-fired power plants in the state to reduce their emissions by about three-fourths."

DENR officials say new ozone standards are still being discussed by the Environmental Protection Agency.  Dangerously high ozone levels occur mostly during the summer months.

EnvironmentAir QualityEnvironmental Protection AgencyDENRAir Pollution
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Gurnal Scott
Gurnal Scott joined North Carolina Public Radio in March 2012 after several stops in radio and television. After graduating from the College of Charleston in his South Carolina hometown, he began his career in radio there. He started as a sports reporter at News/Talk Radio WTMA and won five Sportscaster of the Year awards. In 1997, Gurnal moved on to television as general assignment reporter and weekend anchor for WCSC-TV in Charleston. He anchored the market's top-rated weekend newscasts until leaving Charleston for Memphis, TN in 2002. Gurnal worked at WPTY-TV for two years before returning to his roots in radio. He joined the staff of Memphis' NewsRadio 600 WREC in 2004 eventually rising to News Director. In 2006, Raleigh news radio station WPTF came calling and he became the station's chief correspondent. Gurnal’s reporting has been honored by the South Carolina Broadcasters Association, the North Carolina Associated Press, and the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas.
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