One major air pollutant in my area which is Kosciusko County in Indiana is particle pollution. This is pollution that is caused by companies, vehicles, and even dust, pollen and smoke from fire. This can cause serious health problems since the particles can become so small that we breathe it in. In fact there is a news article from Inkfreenews that states the surrounding counties of my county received a grade of “D” and “F” in air quality.

On the federal scale a strategy has been put in place to combat this air pollutant. The Clean Air Act is obviously the most useful law that was put in place to enforce states to monitor air quality. There have been many amendments to this act including tracking local air quality to monitoring the emission of vehicles. The emission reduction strategy is good for the environment, but bad business for the huge car manufacturers so often times these can be overlooked. When there are strict deadlines that the EPA must meet, most of the emission standards then are not tested accurately or properly so this strategy is not helpful that it can be if there were no deadlines. On the level of state authority Indiana has forced many of the industries to upgrade their filters and use “cleaner technology” as stated by John Russel (2018). However, Indiana is claiming that New York, which is blaming Indiana for upwind pollution, that New York has outdated information. This strategy that Indiana is doing is helpful, but I fear that it is not enough. Indiana is fighting New York’s claim that their pollution is caused by us and are risking thousands of Indiana jobs. With this battle pursuing it is unlikely we will see any changes or reduction of particle pollution because of the fear of lost jobs.

References:

Dale, L. (2015). Environmental policy (second Ed.). Bridgepoint Education

Inkfreenews. (April 2015). Indiana Air Quality Receives Failing Grades. Retrieved from: http://www.inkfreenews.com/2015/04/29/indiana-air-quality-receives-failing-grades/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Air pollution: everything you should know about a public health emergency; it isn’t just car fumes that fill our urban centres with particles. Why is air pollution on the rise, who does it affect most — and what can we do about it? (2018). The Guardian (London, England). Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsbig&AN=edsbig.A561147604&site=eds-live&scope=site (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Russel, John. (October 2018). New York Seeks to Force Indiana, Other Upwind States to Upgrade Pollution Technology. Retrieved from: https://www.ibj.com/articles/70870-new-york-seeks-to-force-indiana-other-upwind-states-to-upgrade-pollution-technology