Press Release

GREAT AIR QUALITY HIGHLIGHTS THE 2004 AIR QUALITY FORECASTING SEASON WHICH DRAWS TO A CLOSE TOMORROW

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ST. LOUIS, MO., September 17, 2004... Clear, blue skies and a nice breeze are helping to ensure that the St. Louis region's 2004 Air Quality Season wraps up just the way it began - with great weather and low ozone levels that have resulted in one of the most pleasant summers in recent history for area residents. The final 2004 air quality forecast of the season, for tomorrow, Saturday, September 18, 2004, is calling for another "green" air quality day. According to the St. Louis Regional Clean Air Partnership (The Partnership), that brings the official tally for the season to 88 good or "green" air quality days, 37 moderate or "yellow" air quality days and zero orange or red days with air quality in the unhealthy ranges.

"We are delighted that area residents, particularly those with asthma and other populations sensitive to ozone, were able to breathe easier this summer," notes Susannah Fuchs, air quality director for the American Lung Association of Missouri and spokesperson for the Partnership. "While there's no question that the weather was a contributor to the great air quality, we believe the commitment of St. Louis area businesses, residents and organizations to the clean air effort is a key contributing factor in the trend we've seen toward better air quality in our region."

Thousands of area residents continue to make the effort to team up to share the ride to work in a carpool, vanpool, the bus or on MetroLink. RideFinders, the regional ridesharing program that tracks the number of registered carpoolers and vanpoolers, recently reported a 15% net increase in the number of commuters carpooling and vanpooling throughout the region.

While the reasons for this growth and the popularity of MetroLink vary from trying to avoid paying the high prices at the pump to a desire to choose a more environmentally friendly commute, the end result is fewer single-occupancy vehicles on the road, and that helps to reduce emissions.

These individual efforts were coupled with the commitment of more than 500 area businesses and organizations that are working with The Partnership to spread the clean air message and encourage behaviors that reduce emissions, from ridesharing to not using gas powered lawn and garden tools when the air quality is poor. Among these are several new partners, including UMB Bank Pavilion, 19 branches of the St. Louis City Library System, 20 branches of the St. Louis County Library System, the St. Louis Zoo and Sigma-Aldrich. These entities all agreed to assist The Partnership in its goal of increasing awareness of regional clean air issues and encouraging participation in activities to reduce emissions.

"Thanks to our many partners, there is great awareness throughout our community regarding what a "green" day or "red" day is and the impact that our personal behaviors have on our air quality," notes Fuchs. "While we can celebrate the great season that is wrapping up, we must maintain that awareness and continue to gain the commitment of people throughout our region to do their part to ensure that we continue to enjoy good air quality here in the St. Louis area."

The Gateway Clean Air Program (GCAP) also continues to play a key role in our region's clean air efforts by identifying vehicles that are polluting the air. GCAP identified approximately 200,000 polluting vehicles between April 2000 and April 2004 and ensured that 95% of those failing vehicles were repaired, registering a post-repair improvement in emission reductions of up to 98%.

To learn more about the Partnership and its successful 2004 initiatives call the American Lung Association of Eastern MO at 1-800-LUNG-USA. The St. Louis Regional Clean Air Partnership was formed in 1995, led by the American Lung Association of Missouri, St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association, East-West Gateway Council of Governments, 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:

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

-or-

Susannah Fuchs
American Lung Association
(314) 645-5505

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