As
a local air quality agency, Mecklenburg County Air Quality’s (MCAQ) goal
is not just to maintain compliance with air quality standards, but to
continue the positive trend of improving air quality and put some “breathing
room” between our local data and the health-based standard. Therefore, MCAQ and
the North Carolina Division of Air Quality (NCDAQ) are
partnering through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Advance Program to take
proactive steps to reduce ozone-forming air pollution and maintain healthy air quality
in the Charlotte region. This is good for public health and
decreases the likelihood that our region will violate the health-based
standard in the future.
To create Breathing Room, the region must reduce ozone-forming nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions. The pie chart below shows that most of the region's NOx emissions come from Mobile Sources like cars, trucks, tractors, and other types of vehicles and equipment. So, reducing pollution from vehicles and equipment is especially important to improve local air quality.
MCAQ
leads the Charlotte region's participation in Advance and works with
NCDAQ, EPA, stakeholders, and the
public to implement the region's Path Froward. The Path Forward is a plan that will improve air quality while
maintaining existing programs that effectively reduce ozone-forming
emissions. This plan was provided to the EPA as a demonstration of the
Charlotte region's continued commitment to improving air quality.
Progress Reports:
August 2018
September 2019
September 2020
May 2022
2022 Results