Clean Air for the Carolinas
SELC helps the Carolinas to clean the air
North and South Carolina are areas of economic prosperity, natural beauty and diverse culture. This high quality of life has led to rapid growth across the Carolinas. Unfortunately, in much of the area, this growth has led to unmanaged sprawl and an increase in driving both of which have resulted in unhealthy air.
In 2004, the Environmental Protection Agency designated areas across North and South Carolina that violate federal health standards of ozone and particle pollution. These "nonattainment" areas are required to meet new federal deadlines to reduce ozone-causing pollution and fine particulate matter. A total of 38 counties were designated as nonattainment in the Carolinas, with the majority of these counties being in and around five major metropolitan areas: Charlotte, the Triangle, the Triad, Columbia and Greenville-Spartanburg.
To help these areas address air quality issues the Southern Environmental Law Center published Action Agendas in the five metro areas of the Carolinas currently in violation of federal pollution standards. These reports aimed to provide both a "report card" on current and ongoing efforts in the regions, and a "roadmap" that citizens, the business community and local officials can use to achieve clean air, while enhancing the overall quality of life in the region.
