LAT: L.A.'s the Capital of Dirty Air Again [View All]

[DeepModem Mom]

L.A.'s the Capital of Dirty Air Again
Despite having fewer smoggy days this year than last, the region ranks as the worst in the nation for unhealthful haze, the EPA says.
By Miguel Bustillo, Times Staff Writer


Los Angeles is America's smog capital once again.

The megalopolis actually has had fewer smoggy days this year than last, continuing a relatively steady three-decade trend toward cleaner air. However, Houston and California's San Joaquin Valley, which in recent years rivaled and even surpassed L.A. as the smoggiest areas in the country, experienced exceptionally clean air this year.

As a result, the Greater Los Angeles region is again home to the worst smog in the nation, according to the federal Environmental Protection Agency's latest barometer for measuring the unhealthful haze — a dubious distinction the region has held for most of the last half-century.

Air quality in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties has exceeded the federal health standard for more than 2 1/2 months this year.

"It's a tough job cleaning up the ozone at this point because there are not a lot of easy emissions to target," said Joe Cassmassi, planning and rules manager for the South Coast Air Quality Management District, the region's chief smog-fighting agency. "The low-hanging fruit, as a lot of people like to say, has been taken."...


http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-smog14nov14,0,3689526.story?coll=la-tot-promo&track=morenews