The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency establishes National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for six common pollutants to protect public health from adverse effects of air pollution. These six pollutants are ground-level ozone, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and lead. Areas with multiple exceedances of the NAAQS for any of these pollutants are deemed to be in violation of the standards and are designated as non-attainment areas.

In the fall of 2006, the city petitioned the state to move forward with a request to the EPA to redesignate the central Indiana region to attainment for ozone. It was clear that the available ozone monitoring data demonstrated the nine-county region had met the current federal ozone health standard for the first time since that standard was adopted in 1997. Marion County had been designated as a nonattainment area for ozone since Congress adopted the Clean Air Act Amendments in 1990.

The city's ongoing commitment to improving air quality in Indianapolis includes enforcement of all existing city, state and federal requirements and the implementation of innovative, proactive programs. Under the Indy GreenPrint initiative, the city will continue the longstanding Knozone air pollution reduction initiative, the retrofitting of controls on city and regional diesel vehicles, implementation of transportation and commuting measures, controls on open burning and other efforts to further improve air quality.

For Marion County, redesignation to attainment for ozone will simplify the air permit rules for new and expanding businesses, remove the stigma of nonattainment for ozone for our region and lessen other Clean Air Act requirements.

For more information about the Central Indiana Air Quality Advisory Group, please visit the Indiana Department of Environmental Management's website.