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U.S. EPA TO EXTEND CLARK COUNTY AIR POLLUTION DEADLINE

Release Date: 5/29/1996
Contact Information: Dave Schmidt, U.S. EPA, (415) 744-1578

    San Francisco--  In a letter to the Nevada Department of Environmental Protection, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) notified state officials that it intends to grant Clark County a one-year extension of its December 31, 1995, deadline for meeting the federal health standard for carbon monoxide air pollution.   The extension is allowed by the Clean Air Act in cases where, as in Clark County, pollution levels exceed the standard only once in the year preceding the deadline.

     During the past winter, carbon monoxide levels exceeded the federal health standard four times in Clark County (once in 1995 and three times in 1996).  Additional anti-pollution measures will be needed to provide healthful air, especially in light of anticipated urban growth in Clark County over the next few years.

     The letter also noted that Clark County has agreed to continue to operate the air monitoring device on East Charleston St., and set up three additional monitoring stations in alternate locations, to be fully operational by October 1, 1996.  The data from all these sites will be carefully compared and evaluated.

     The deadline extension will be formally proposed by U.S. EPA when it is published in the Federal Register during the coming summer.  At that time, U.S. EPA will welcome public comments on the proposal.  U.S. EPA is committed to working cooperatively with state and local governments, the business community, and Clark County residents to to ensure healthy air for everyone.

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