St. Louis area fails to meet new federal air pollution standard

According to a KCStar article:

St. Louis and surrounding counties are among 224 nationwide that do not meet a new federal air pollution standard for fine particles that lodge deep within the lungs and cause cardiopulmonary problems, the Environmental Protection Agency said Friday. . . .

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources, working with individual communities, has three years to come up with a plan to meet the new air standard by 2010.

Remedies include more efficient-burning wood stoves, greater reliance on public transportation, retrofitting diesel engines and reducing vehicle idling.

Of course, better walking and bicycling accommodations should be part of any such plan. Trips under three miles in length cause proportionally more air pollution (because automobile pollution control systems take about three miles to reach full efficiency)--and these are just the trips that are most easily replaced by walking and bicycling.

More information and details about the fine particulate regulations can be found in an infoZine article.