Press Release

U.S. EPA Announces Publication of Regional Air Quality Progress Report

11/27/96

US EPA/ U.S. EPA regional air quality progress report -- breathing
easier

San Francisco, M2 PRESSWIRE: U.S. EPA today issued a report entitled,
Breathing Easier 1996: Air Quality in California, Arizona, Nevada,
Hawaii, showing substantial progress toward cleaner air in these four
states over the last ten years. Despite major increases in population
and auto travel over the past decade, air pollution levels have
decreased by about one-third, overall.

One of the most important signs of progress toward cleaner air has
been recorded in California's South Coast Air Basin (Los Angeles
area), home to over 15 million people and long known for the nation's
worst smog.  Ground-level ozone, or smog, levels exceeded the national
health standard on 184 days -- more than half the year -- in 1981. But
in 1995, unhealthy smog levels were recorded on only 107 days.

"This report shows that people in California, Arizona, Nevada, and
Hawaii are breathing cleaner air than they were ten years ago," said
David Howekamp, director of U.S. EPA's regional Air Division. "But
much more remains to be done to achieve or simply maintain healthy air
in every locality. We continue to depend on the cooperation of state
and local air agencies, and the public, to make further progress."

Both the number of days in which air pollution has exceeded national
air quality standards, and the air pollutant levels have decreased for
the six major air pollutants targeted for reduction under the federal
Clean Air Act, over the four-state region.

Of the six pollutants, the greatest reductions have been recorded for
lead (93%), followed by carbon monoxide (35%), and particulate matter
(26%). The tremendous reduction in lead levels has resulted mostly
from the phase-out of lead in gasoline. While all six pollutants are
being steadily reduced, ground- level ozone remains a problem in many
areas. Over the four-state region, progress has been slow, with ozone
levels down just 12%, on average, since 1986. Several urban areas, in
fact, exceeded the ozone health standard more often in the past couple
of years than in the preceding years, and thus have reversed, or at
least stalled, the trend toward improvement.

Since 1990, according to the report, the following geographic areas
have reduced their levels of one or more of these pollutants
sufficiently to meet the national health standards for:

Ground-level Ozone: Monterey Bay, Chico, and Yuba City, California;
and Reno, Nevada.

Particulate Matter: Sacramento, Mojave Desert, and Mono Lake,
California; Ajo, Bullhead City, Douglas, Hayden, Miami, Nogales, Paul
Spur, Payson, Rillito, and Yuma, Arizona.

Carbon Monoxide: San Francisco Bay Area, San Diego, Sacramento,
Fresno, Stockton, Modesto, Chico, and Lake Tahoe, California; Reno,
Nevada; and Tucson, Arizona.

Sulfur Dioxide: In earlier years, violations of the national health
standard have occurred near copper smelters in Arizona, but none have
been recorded recently. The only recent violations were from
naturally-occurring volcanic emissions at Hawaii Volcanoes National
Park.

Nitrogen Dioxide: All areas met the national health standard for this
smog-forming pollutant. The last violation of the nitrogen dioxide
standard was in the South Coast Air Basin (Los Angeles Area) in 1991.

Lead: All areas met the federal standard.

Despite the decade-long trend toward cleaner air in all geographic
areas, however, some areas still failed to meet federal health
standards with regard to certain pollutants during the past few
years. These areas include:

Southern California, the San Joaquin Valley, the Sacramento Area, the
San Francisco Bay Area, and Phoenix, where ground-level ozone levels
exceeded the federal health standard.

The South Coast Air Basin (Los Angeles area), Southeast Desert, San
Joaquin Valley, and Great Basin Valley, California; Reno, and Las
Vegas, Nevada; and Phoenix, Arizona, where particulate levels exceeded
the federal health standard.

The South Coast Air Basin (Los Angeles area), Calexico, Phoenix, and
Las Vegas, where carbon monoxide levels exceeded the federal health
standard.

Copies of the 25-page report are available upon request.  To request a
copy, please call U.S. EPA at (415) 744-1208.