Press Release

CLEAN AIR FAIR AT KIENER PLAZA KICKS-OFF AIR QUALITY FORECASTING SEASON

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New, More Stringent Air Quality Standards Lead to Stepped-up Efforts for 2004 Season

ST. LOUIS, MO ­ May 17, 2004... The St. Louis Regional Clean Air Partnership (The Partnership) today kicked-off the 2004 Air Quality Forecasting Season with a Clean Air Fair at Kiener Plaza in downtown St. Louis, Mo. The well attended lunch-time event included live music, giveaways, free popcorn and Ted Drewes frozen custard, as well as displays by various Partnership members offering information about how people can do their part to help clean the air.

The goal of this year's campaign is to directly involve area residents, organizations and businesses, by urging them to adopt voluntary ozone-reduction activities throughout the summer, and all year round, to bring about lifestyle changes that will lead to long-term improvements in air quality throughout the region. The Partnership's call to action takes on enhanced importance this year following the US EPA's April 15, 2004 designation of the region as a non-attainment area for the eight-hour standard for ozone pollution levels. The new designation came just months after the region was declared to be in attainment of the one-hour standard. It sets the national ambient air quality standard for ground-level ozone at 0.08 parts per million averaged over an eight-hour timeframe.

"The primary difference between the one-hour standard that our region just barely met last year, and the eight-hour ozone standard that is now in effect, is that compliance with the new eight-hour standard will better protect public health," notes Susannah Fuchs of the American Lung Association of Missouri, which is one of the founding members of The Partnership. "While we clearly reached a milestone in improving our air quality to meet the one-hour standard, we must continue and build on those efforts to meet the new standard in the coming years, and we invite employers and individuals throughout our region to become part of this effort and show they care about clean air."

The April 15 changes that ushered in the new eight-hour standard also added Jersey County, IL, to the non-attainment area. According to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, despite the fact that Jersey County has fewer people and less industry than other counties also classified as non-attainment, it is affected by transport from the St. Louis urbanized area and other upwind source regions.

As with last year, the underlying message for the 2004 season is Care About Clean Air. Choose a Better Way to Go. In keeping with that, The Partnership is encouraging individuals to reduce solo commuting and instead, try taking MetroLink or the bus or consider contacting RideFinders to create or join an existing carpool or vanpool.

"St. Louis-area drivers produce more than 125 tons of ozone-forming hydrocarbons daily, contributing to the air pollution that makes the simple act of breathing difficult for the more than 260,000 area residents that suffer from asthma and other lung ailments," adds Fuchs. "The efforts of The Partnership are geared towards providing people with the information they need to change their commuting behavior and adopt other easy lifestyle changes that will ultimately help improve the region¹s air quality."

Also returning this year, is the Green Day Giveaway promotion through KMOV Channel 4 to help keep area residents motivated to do their part to ensure good air quality (or "green days") this summer. The Green Day Giveaway contest will begin June 7, 2004 giving people a chance to win one of the Green Day prize packages valued at $120 each. Area residents can tune in to KMOV Channel 4 for the daily air quality forecast, with daily winners announced in the 5 pm newscast. On September 17, 2004, one name will be randomly selected from all entries to determine the winner of a brand new 2004 Honda Civic Hybrid!

As it works toward meeting the new, more stringent air quality standards, The Partnership also has expanded its outreach to businesses and major venues throughout the region encouraging them to participate in voluntary ozone reduction measures, such as designating a Clean Air Coordinator/Employee Transportation Coordinator (CAC/ETC) at their worksite or working with The Partnership to assist with its consumer awareness initiatives. When companies appoint a CAC/ETC to work with The Partnership and RideFinders or Citizens for Modern Transit, they get a wealth of air quality related information as well as access to extensive resources to help their employees choose a better way to go. New strategic partners for the 2004 season will be joining approximately 500 other employers already working with The Partnership to help clean the air.

The Missouri Department of Transportation has also initiated its new Traffic Information Hotline to help fight congestion and warn area residents when ozone levels reach unhealthy conditions (red air quality forecast days). By dialing (888) 511-4STL (4785) commuters can get real-time information on traffic conditions, traffic crashes, and construction lane closures. The high-tech, voice-activated traffic information hotline is powered by the same database that runs the real-time traffic information website www.gatewayguide.com. Eventually, the toll free number will be converted to 511, a national travel information number, to help make it easier for area residents to access the database.

Also, new for the 2004 Air Quality Season is an opportunity for area employers to participate in a federal program spearheaded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that recognizes Best Workplaces for Commuters. Partnering with the American Lung Association, Citizens for Modern Transit, RideFinders and The Partnership, the U.S. EPA will give the national designation to employers in the St. Louis region who have voluntarily taken significant steps to promote alternatives to driving alone for the work commute. These organizations are working with various members of The Partnership to identify employers that meet the requirements to capture the coveted designation in time for a June 29th announcement. For more information on how to qualify for the designation, visit www.cmt-stl.org.

The Partnership invites and encourages any individual, business, organization, or school to participate in any of the voluntary ozone reduction activities on the Partnership's website at www.cleanair-stlouis.com or to call (314) 645-5505 for more details. For more information on how to Choose A Better Way to Go, please contact RideFinders, a resource for carpooling or vanpooling information, at (800) VIP-RIDE or www.ridefinders.org, where you can also register your carpool; Metro for public transit information in Missouri and St. Clair County, IL, at (314) 231-2345 (MO) and (618) 271-2345 (IL), or www.metrostlouis.org; Madison County Transit at (618) 931-7433, Option 3 or www.mct.org for public transit information in Madison County, IL, or Citizens for Modern Transit at www.cmt-stl.org for assistance planning a trip by transit.

The St. Louis Regional Clean Air Partnership was formed in 1995, led by the American Lung Association, St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association, East-West Gateway Coordinating Council, Washington University and others, to increase awareness of regional air quality issues and to encourage activities to reduce air pollution emissions.

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for more information, contact:

Laura Reed or
Julie Hauser
The Hauser Group, Inc.
(314) 436-9090

-or-

Susannah Fuchs
American Lung Association of Missouri
(314) 645-5505

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