Smog-cutting status reviewed

Mar 9, 2010 — The Charlotte Observer

Steve Harrison

Mar. 9, 2010 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- Charlotte will be able to show the federal government that its transportation plans will help lower pollution-causing emissions, the Charlotte Department of Transportation said Monday night.

Charlotte has been in jeopardy of losing federal highway dollars because of its ground-level ozone -- or smog -- a pollutant that irritates the lungs and can cause serious health problems in children and the elderly. The American Lung Association has said Charlotte has some of the dirtiest air in the country -- a product of the region's car-dependent culture and its hot, summer weather.

Because summer 2009 was relatively smog-free, the city was given a one-year extension by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to meet its pollution targets. That helped the city show the EPA that its transportation plans won't make the city's pollution problem worse.

The long-range transportation plan didn't include many new transportation projects, in part because the N.C. Department of Transportation and the Charlotte Area Transit System have far less money than anticipated.

The plan assumed that CATS could build a light-rail extension and a commuter rail line by 2025 -- and nothing else.

City Council member Nancy Carter asked why rapid transit down Independence Boulevard wasn't included.

Norm Steinman of CDOT said the federal government only allows cities to include projects they can realistically pay for.

Carter later urged the city to include the southeast transit corridor in the plan, even if it wasn't included in how it would impact emissions.

Steinman said no rapid transit project or highway has any significant impact on the city meeting its pollution goals.

He said cars that emit fewer smog-producing pollutants will be responsible for the area's ozone reductions -- not a single transit project or highway.

The air-quality plan assumed there wouldn't be a streetcar running through central Charlotte. Mayor Pro Tem Susan Burgess said the streetcar should be included, and said it's likely the city will receive federal money to help build a 1.5-mile segment from Time Warner (NYSE:TWX) Cable Arena to Presbyterian Hospital.

Steinman said after his presentation to council that the segment wouldn't have any measurable impact on air quality. He said it's possible it could make the air marginally worse, because CATS will have to continue to operate its Gold Rush buses until the streetcar is expanded.

Steinman said the plan shows that the Charlotte area's emissions from vehicles will be below the current federal ozone standard of 84 parts per billion.

Newstex ID: KRTB-0038-42694987