EPA scrutinizes air-pollution control plans

Monday, Nov. 6, 2000 | 11:41 a.m.

The head of the Clark County Planning Department says that federal review of two complex plans to control air pollution is moving forward.

The federally mandated plans are under review by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The region has to have approved plans in place or it could lose millions in federal highway funding, or even a freeze on new construction.

Fine dust, mostly from vacant land and construction activity, and carbon monoxide, mostly from automobile tailpipes, have been above federal standards, although regional government officials say levels have been improving over the last several years for both pollutants.

Planning Director John Schlegel said the EPA is in the final stages of reviewing the "emissions budget" for the carbon monoxide. He said county staffers anticipate the EPA will give its blessing to that budget later this month.

The emissions budget is a critical component of any final plan, because it spells out how much carbon monoxide will likely go into the air as the population and number of cars in the Las Vegas Valley grow.

The formal approval of that budget will allow the Regional Transportation Commission to move forward with plans for roadway improvements throughout Clark County, Schlegel said.

The plan to control fine dust -- officially called "particulate matter 10" or PM10 -- "is undergoing informal review by the EPA," Schlegel said.

The plan hasn't been submitted to the Clark County Commission for approval because through the informal process, the EPA can make suggestions that are more likely to lead to final federal approval, Schlegel said.

The plan is likely to go before the commission in December for public comment and get county approval in February, Schlegel said.

A major component of that plan -- new rules designed to cut the amount of airborne dust -- is already in place. The rules were passed by the Clark County Health District in June.

Dr. Donald Kwalick, chief health officer for the health district, said his agency is informing landowners and construction companies of the rules to limit dust.

The agency, which enforces the air quality rules, also is hiring staff to implement the sweeping new rules in January, Kwalick said.

The improvements may take a while to show up, especially when the Las Vegas Valley gets whipped by winds that tend to exacerbate the dust problem, he warned.

"There's no quick fix," he said. "I think the whole idea of having control of construction dust and disturbed vacant land in general will be a community effort."

County officials say the movement on the plans is good news. Some environmentalists, however, say they'd like to see more.

"We're hoping that the PM10 plan would actually make a difference in air quality problems here, but we don't think (the draft plan) is adequate," Jane Feldman, co-chairwoman of the local Sierra Club group's conservation committee, said. "We hope that the EPA will recognize the deficiencies in the plan ... step in and make sure we clean up the air."

Feldman also expressed concern with the carbon monoxide plan. The Sierra Club locally and nationally has opposed roadwork that members argue contributes to sprawl and increases automobile usage. She said the plan should include more opportunities for transportation that get people out of their cars.

Sierra Club lawyers have said they will go to court to block a joint federal-state plan to widen U.S. 95 from Martin Luther King Boulevard to Craig Road.

"We really want to have a couple of highway projects looked at in close scrutiny," Feldman said. "We need a better vision of where people live and how they get to work."

The EPA is working with county officials to help ensure clean air for both dust and carbon monoxide, agency spokeswoman Lisa Fasano said.

County officials say the work is getting done, the air is getting cleaner and the plans should get a chance to work. The EPA approval is the one essential step in putting the plans in place.

"I think we're doing good with the two plans at this point," Schlegel said. "We're closing in on the end for what we need to do."