Welcome to the Clean Air Connection

Mission Statement   

Eastern Panhandle Clean Air Connection serves to increase public awareness of air pollution through education and outreach, as well as encourage community participation in voluntary actions that will improve air quality in the Eastern Panhandle Region.

In 1997, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established a new 8-hour standard for ground-level ozone as a result of a review of its health-related impacts. This new standard replaced the older 1-hour standard and served to address the cumulative impact of ground-level ozone exposure at lower levels for a longer period of time, making it more protective of human health.

As part of the implementation of the new standard, in June 2000, EPA requested each state to identify potential non attainment areas within their borders. An area is designated as non attainment when it exceeds the 8-hour ozone standard more than three times over a period of three consecutive years. At the time of EPA's request, the Counties of Berkeley and Jefferson in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia were identified as potential non attainment areas, due to their close proximity to the cities of Washington, D.C. and Baltimore and their marginal exceedance of the 8-hour ozone standard between 1997 and 1999.

A non attainment designation for ground-level ozone in the Eastern Panhandle would have adverse economic and health-related impacts on the overall community. It would allow the federal government to take punitive actions as authorized by Congress in the Federal Clean Air Act, resulting in decreased economic growth, loss of jobs as businesses choose to relocate facilities, and a negative image for the region. Moreover, failure to comply with the ozone standard would result in poor air quality and potential health consequences for Eastern Panhandle residents.

The implications of a potential non attainment designation on the region prompted the Counties of Berkeley and Jefferson, along with the City of Martinsburg and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WV DEP) to commit to entering into an Early Action Compact (EAC) - a voluntary agreement with EPA to develop a proactive plan to reduce ground-level ozone pollution and improve air quality in the Eastern Panhandle community. Under the EAC agreement, the region must come into compliance with current federal standards for ground-level ozone by 2007 to avoid a formal non attainment designation.

Upon the localities' formal adoption of the Early Action Compact in December 2002, the Eastern Panhandle Air Quality Task Force was created to develop an Ozone Early Action Plan, around which the EAC is centered. Comprised of a broad-based group of stakeholders, the Task Force included state and local government representatives as well as local business and industry, healthcare, and environmental interests. This group officially adopted seven local control measure strategies to reduce ground-level ozone emissions in the Eastern Panhandle and designated the Region 9 Planning and Development Council to manage the development and implementation of this Ozone Early Action Plan.

Eastern Panhandle Clean Air Connection was created to serve as the public education and outreach program for the Ozone Early Action Plan, as well as any air quality improvement issues that may reach beyond the EAC. Eastern Panhandle Clean Air Connection is a public-private community partnership sponsored by the local governments of Berkeley and Jefferson Counties and the City of Martinsburg, and managed by the Region 9 Planning and Development Council.

We invite you to browse our site to learn more about our mission, programs, and outreach initiatives, as well as your role in air quality improvement. If we work together, we can all breathe easier.