U.S. EPA

New federal standards for ground level ozone announced March 12th will strengthen air quality programs in Kansas, according to EPA Region 7 officials. The primary ground-level ozone standard was tightened from 80 parts per billion to 75 parts per billion. EPA Region 7 and the State’ s Department of Health and Environment and cities have been working for years to cut emissions and keep future ground-level ozone levels under the standard. The new primary standard directly impacts the Kansas City metro area. For the affected areas, the state will monitor ozone levels and submit a recommendation by March 2009 on whether they believe the area will continue to violate the standards and should be designated a nonattainment area by EPA.

Ground Level Ozone Standards for Kansas