Tri-County Regional Planning Commission has launched the Clean Air Action Initiative to help encourage Tri-County residents Keep our Air Clean!
Clean Air Action focuses on preserving clean, healthy air in the Tri-County Region through voluntary actions by individuals, businesses and government.
In the Tri-County Region, ground-level ozone is the primary
air quality concern. Ground-level ozone is the by-product of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and Nitrous Oxide (NOx) “cooking” in hot, sunny, dry weather. VOCs and NOx primarily come from the use of fossil fuels, such as gasoline, diesel and coal, in addition to fumes from oil-based paints and solvents.
Quick fact: If you spill 1 oz of gasoline during your fill up, it releases the same amount of ground-level ozone-causing VOCs as driving your car for 56 miles.
Ground-level ozone levels in the Tri-County Region have been increasing gradually over the past years. At the same time, on May 27, 2008 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) tightened its definition of what constitutes "healthy" air, reducing allowable ground-level ozone levels from 80 to 75 parts per billion (ppb).
In response, in a proactive effort to to keep our air healthy and address the new USEPA standards, TCRPC will has launched a Clean Air Action initiative. The voluntary strategies promoted through this initiative can help keep our air clean and healthy. A similar strategy was adopted in the Quad Cities in 1998; today that area has the lowest levels of ground-level ozone in downstate Illinois.
Further Information
Clean Air Action Flyer
How Much Do you know About Air Quality? Take the Quiz.
It all Adds up to Cleaner Air Fun Fact Sheet.
Links
US EPA's Air Quality Website. See the ozone levels as the day progresses, as well as tomorrow's ozone forecast. http://www.airnow.gov/
Sign up with the
EnviroFlash Email alert system to be notified when high ozone days are likely to occur. 
http://www.enviroflash.info/
Find out the region's ozone levels over the past week at the Illinois EPA website: http://www.epa.state.il.us/air/ozone/o3high.html
It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air. Visit this website to find more actions you can take to help keep our air clean. http://www.italladdsup.gov/index.html
For more information about Clean Air Action, please contact
John A. Chambers, Senior Planner
Tri-County Regional Planning Commission
Email: jchambers@tricountyrpc.org Phone: (309)673-9330
Clean Air Action focuses on preserving clean, healthy air in the Tri-County Region through voluntary actions by individuals, businesses and government.
In the Tri-County Region, ground-level ozone is the primary
Ground-level ozone levels in the Tri-County Region have been increasing gradually over the past years. At the same time, on May 27, 2008 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) tightened its definition of what constitutes "healthy" air, reducing allowable ground-level ozone levels from 80 to 75 parts per billion (ppb).
In response, in a proactive effort to to keep our air healthy and address the new USEPA standards, TCRPC will has launched a Clean Air Action initiative. The voluntary strategies promoted through this initiative can help keep our air clean and healthy. A similar strategy was adopted in the Quad Cities in 1998; today that area has the lowest levels of ground-level ozone in downstate Illinois.
Further Information
Clean Air Action Flyer
How Much Do you know About Air Quality? Take the Quiz.
It all Adds up to Cleaner Air Fun Fact Sheet.
Links
US EPA's Air Quality Website. See the ozone levels as the day progresses, as well as tomorrow's ozone forecast. http://www.airnow.gov/
Sign up with the
EnviroFlash Email alert system to be notified when high ozone days are likely to occur. http://www.enviroflash.info/Find out the region's ozone levels over the past week at the Illinois EPA website: http://www.epa.state.il.us/air/ozone/o3high.html
It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air. Visit this website to find more actions you can take to help keep our air clean. http://www.italladdsup.gov/index.html
For more information about Clean Air Action, please contact
John A. Chambers, Senior Planner
Tri-County Regional Planning Commission
Email: jchambers@tricountyrpc.org Phone: (309)673-9330
