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Transportation-related air quality issues are a predominant concern in North Carolina. The U.S. Supreme Court recently upheld the US Environmental Protection Agency's authority to establish air quality standards at a level "requisite" to protect public health. If EPA decides to implement its 1997 revised standards for ozone and particulate matter, the number of NC counties estimated to be in violation of the new standard may increase from 7 to 23, and more than $1.5 billion in transportation projects may be jeopardized. In order to protect the economic vitality of the state, North Carolina business leaders, elected officials, community groups, and other stakeholders will need to achieve a common understanding of the implications of the new standard and work cooperatively to achieve conformity.
To improve the way transportation-related air quality issues are communicated to North Carolina decision-makers and the general public, the North Carolina Department of Transportation and the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources in cooperation with the Center for Transportation and the Environment (NC State University) have launched the North Carolina Air Quality Roundtable Series.
On May 24, 2001, over 30 of the state's air quality stakeholders met in Raleigh for the first roundtable meeting. The purpose of this first session was to explore the feasibility of a collaborative approach to educate the elected officials and general public in the new areas that will be impacted by transportation conformity. Meeting participants agreed that due to limited resources, any efforts must be collaborative, and that future roundtable sessions should focus on developing strategies to:
- Educate elected officials and other decision makers
- Coordinate public education initiatives
- Facilitate capacity building to improve technical resources
You are invited to visit this site regularly to review the results of the roundtable sessions and to stay abreast of future roundtable initiatives.
For more information, please contact Lynn Coryell, (919) 515-8587.
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