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Ozone could hurt transportation projects
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Published: November 8, 2009
Cabarrus and Rowan transportation projects could have trouble getting federal funding unless the two counties and others in the greater Charlotte region can agree on a plan to improve the local air quality by June 30, 2010.
The region was declared a nonattainment area in 2005 because of high levels of ozone, according to transportation officials. This year was the deadline to improve the local air quality.
Some improvements have been made, but the region is still worse than it should be, officials said.
Now Cabarrus, Rowan, Mecklenburg, Gaston, Union, Iredell and Lincoln counties must agree on a plan to help the region conform to federally mandated air quality standards by June 30, 2010, or it risks indefinitely delaying federal funding to all local transportation projects, such as the Yadkin River Bridge replacement in Rowan County and the Interstate 85 widening, a $230 million project in Cabarrus County.
The region was given a grace period that ends June 30.
"The grace period is a ticking clock," said Phil Conrad, executive director of the Cabarrus-Rowan MPO.
Conrad said as long as the region decides on a plan to improve air quality by June 30, the projects will continue as planned.
Recently, members of the Technical Coordinating Committee and the Transportation Advisory Committee of the Cabarrus-Rowan MPO met to discuss the air quality, as well as several other transportation issues.
The meeting was held at the Cabarrus Chamber of Commerce, and included a presentation by the Chief Operating Officer Jim Trogdon of the N.C. Department of Transportation on the department's response to Gov. Beverly Perdue's Executive Order 2 and 3 and efforts to build new partnerships with local governments and MPOs.
Trogdon reported that the N.C. Turnpike Authority is now a part of the N.C. Department of Transportation organizational structure, and has broken ground on their first project in North Carolina.
Also in attendance were Sen. Fletcher Hartsell, Sen. Andrew Brock, Rep. Lorene Coates, Rep. Linda Johnson and Rep. Fred Steen. Ryan Combs from Sen. Richard Burr's office and Torre Jessup from Congressman Mel Watt's office also attended the meeting.
Laura Boothe, Attainment Planning Branch Supervisor for the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, presented an update on air quality plans for the Cabarrus-Rowan area and on the recently released Reasonable Further Progress State Implementation Plan. The plan establishes motor vehicle emission budgets for both counties.
Rowan County has the highest total daily emissions in the region other than Mecklenburg County. Mecklenburg, Rowan, Gaston and Cabarrus, respectively, record the highest total daily emissions, according to 2008 figures included in the report.
Cabarrus and Rowan legislators asked questions about the transport/prevailing winds contributions to local air pollution, pending litigation with the Tennessee Valley Authority, and disparity of motor vehicle/truck emission standards for vehicles made outside the United States.
The Cabarrus-Rowan Transportation Advisory Committee also voted to release the Conformity Analysis and Determination Report to the public, pending completion of the emissions budgets in the next month. The MPO is scheduled to vote on the plan following conclusion of the public comment period. The plan will use the emission budgets from the RFP SIP to demonstrate that the area's transportation plan conforms to air quality standards under the Federal Clean Air Act.
There will be a public hearing on the RFP SIP from 3 to 4 p.m. on Friday in Auditorium 1 at the Mecklenburg County Services Center, 700 N. Tryon St., Charlotte.
• Contact Karen Cimino Wilson: 704-789-9141
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