Northeast Ohio鈥檚 air is cleaner, bringing many counties into compliance with federal Environmental Protection Agency standards.
Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage and Summit counties now meet the U.S. EPA's ground-level ozone standards outlined by the Clean Air Act.
"What that means for, of course, families in Ohio, is that their children are healthier," said Anne Vogel, U.S. EPA Region 5 administrator. "What it means for businesses in Ohio is that they're more competitive. Permitting is more streamlined, more predictable. We're able to do things faster when we're in attainment with the Clean Air Act."
The National Ambient Air Quality Standards set limits on the amount of harmful pollutants detrimental to human and environmental health, like nitrous oxide and volatile organic compounds.
Efforts to reduce the presence of these pollutants in Northeast Ohio's ground-level ozone began in 2018 after the EPA designated the seven-county region as in "nonattainment鈥� for the ozone standard.
A combination of lawnmower rebate programs, transportation improvements and pollution control helped reduce volatile organic compound emissions by 25% and nitrous oxide emissions by 42%, according to Ohio EPA Director John Logue.
"There is no magic bullet here, I guess is what I'm trying to say," Logue said. "So, we have to hit them all, and it really is a cumulative effect over time. We take them wherever we can get them. Anywhere there's an ability to get emissions reductions, we'll take it."
The U.S. EPA announced its proposal to redesignate Northeast Ohio as in attainment with federal standards Wednesday after the region successfully met National Ambient Air Quality Standards for three consecutive years.
The redesignation, if approved, will signify health benefits for at-risk populations across the region, Gov. Mike DeWine said.
"If you have asthma, some members of our family have asthma, that's a good thing," DeWine said. "It's a good thing for anyone who has any kind of vulnerability that we're getting better and better with our clean air."
A collaborative approach across state, federal and local partners led to the region鈥檚 success, according to Grace Gallucci, executive director of the .
"This did not happen because of one single change," Gallucci said. "It's the result of decades of steady progress, continuous improvements in policy, technology, planning, and partnership."
If approved, the addition of Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage and Summit counties, will bring all of Ohio's counties into with federal ozone standards, Logue said. But the for vehicles will remain a requirement.
