By BEX Staff for AZBEX
Since 2023, Phoenix area political and business leaders have argued most of the ozone pollution contributing to poor air quality in the region is beyond their control and is caused largely by pollution coming in from other states and Mexico.
The area has struggled to meet air quality standards under the Clean Air Act because the mountains around the Valley create a “bowl” effect and trap heavier, polluted air.
A local news outlet reported Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin visited Phoenix last year to discuss the area’s classification under the standards. The region was at risk of receiving a “serious” nonattainment label that would have added additional regulatory pressures on businesses that officials said could harm the area’s economic development opportunities and momentum.
On March 23, the EPA ruled the region should be excluded from the stricter standards because, despite ongoing efforts to improve pollution- and ozone-contributing activities, the volume of pollution from outside areas is beyond the area’s control. The target area of Maricopa County and parts of Pinal and Gila counties will remain a “moderate” nonattainment zone.
Another news report said Arizona has reduced air pollution by 70% since 1990, but pollution crossing the border prevented the Phoenix area from going below the federal minimums. President and CEO of Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Danny Seiden, said 80% of the ozone impacting the area comes from international sources and wildfires that lie beyond the area’s capabilities to control.
In addition to possible impacts on manufacturing and construction, Seiden said the ruling could also help lower fuel prices, as less expensive blends may become available to Arizona drivers.