Filed by btucker in Feature, Local News.
June 30, 2011

Changes in national policies for ambient air quality standard for ozone will go into effect in the next few weeks, like most states Oklahoma will struggle to meet the standard. Oklahoma Environmental Specialist Curt Goeller says Oklahoma has seen more days of high ozone this year.

“This year it seems like we’ve had our fair share, or even more than a normal year,” Goeller said. “The previous two years were pretty good we didn’t see too many high days, but this year we’ve already seen several.”

Oklahomans can help reduce emissions by cutting down miles driven on gasoline engines, some ways to include carpooling, public transportation, bicycling, and planning to make multiple stops in one trip.

“A lot of our ozone precursor emissions come from gasoline engines,” Goeller said. “Automobiles, trucks, and also any type of burning.”

The areas in Oklahoma with the highest levels of ozone are Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Lawton, and occasionally commuters to the Dallas area increase levels along the Red River