Agency's push for tougher ozone rules would go beyond big cities

Smog, long the symbol of polluted cities, is about to become a small-town issue. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed new standards for ground-level ozone Thursday that would trigger violations in as many as nine Arizona counties, including some of the state's most rural corners. The rules would force the state, counties and private businesses to spend potentially millions of dollars to reduce ozone emissions and could lead to new controls on power plants and more widespread vehicle smog checks. Efforts to nudge more drivers into less-polluting, more fuel-efficient cars would come as rising gas prices make older models less attractive, but the need to steer people toward mass transit could hit a snag as officials in Maricopa county weigh cutbacks in bus and train service. The new standard could also draw new attention to the problem of regional air quality, Grumbles said. Emissions from power plants, freeways and factories in neighboring counties or states can be carried through the air and turn into ozone far from its source. "We're estimating that six of the counties in Arizona are recipients of ozone from other states and Mexico," he said. "We're looking at an environmental problem that is in need of a regional solution."..read more