Jackson County, Missouri, Achieves Ambient Air Standard for Sulfur Dioxide

LENEXA, KAN. (JAN. 31, 2022) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7 has redesignated a portion of Jackson County, Missouri, to attainment for the 2010 1-hour sulfur dioxide (SO2) National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS).

This action means that the entire Kansas City metropolitan area now complies with the 2010 1-hour SO2 standard. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MoDNR) has been working for almost a decade to both attain the standard and get the area redesignated.

The redesignation is based on the area achieving three, complete consecutive calendar years of quality-assured, air quality monitoring data showing compliance with the standard. Specifically, the SO2 level in Jackson County averaged over the most recent three-year period is 7 parts per billion (ppb), well below the 1-hour SO2 NAAQS of 75 ppb. The air quality improvements in Jackson County are primarily the result of SO2 emission reductions from the Vicinity steam plant switching from burning coal to natural gas.

“Improving air quality requires a concerted effort by many different environmental, utility, and municipal partners,” said EPA Region 7 Administrator Meg McCollister. “We hope we can continue working with our partners in the Kansas City area for more advances in future air quality protection.”

An area in Jefferson County, Missouri, was also redesignated to attainment for the EPA SO2 standard. “This announcement is great news for residents in these two areas who benefit from the improved air quality achieved several years ago,” said MoDNR Director Dru Buntin. “This formal reclassification will also help remove regulatory barriers that will help attract new businesses and other beneficial investments.”

“Jackson County is dedicated to building a better and more equitable community for everyone. An essential component of our vision is ensuring that everyone, especially our children, are able to breath clean air no matter what zip code they call home,” said Jackson County Executive Frank White Jr. “I appreciate the concerted efforts of our partners to make this matter a priority, as we continue working together to provide a healthy, sustainable, and low-carbon community for the well-being of all.”

“This is great news for communities across the Kansas City metro and everyone who has worked hard to ensure residents can breathe clean, fresh air,” said Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas Commissioner Angela Markley, co-chair of the region’s Air Quality Forum. “To our federal, state, regional and city partners: Thank you for your continued efforts to protect residents’ health. We all have a role to play in reducing air pollution and making our region a better place.”

The Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) Air Quality Forum is a policy committee comprised of local elected officials, air quality and transportation agency personnel, and business and community group representatives. The Forum reviews regional air quality issues and makes policy recommendations regarding those issues to the MARC Board of Directors and the states of Kansas and Missouri.

EPA identifies areas where the air quality does not meet EPA SO2 standards. For these areas, state, local, and tribal governments develop plans to reduce the amount of SO2 in the air. On Oct. 4, 2013, an area of Jackson County was designated nonattainment for the 2010 SO2 NAAQS for unhealthy SO2 levels. The designation was based on 2009-2011 data from the Troost monitor in Kansas City, Missouri, which monitored violations of the standard.

SO2 emissions in the Jackson County SO2 nonattainment area have been reduced from 6,899 tons per year in 2011 to 158 tons per year in 2017.

The redesignation is based on air quality monitoring data, as well as a modeling demonstration submitted by Missouri. The state also submitted a maintenance plan for ensuring that the area will continue to maintain compliance with the 1-hour SO2 standard in the future.

Background

Short-term exposures to sulfur dioxide (SO2) can harm the human respiratory system and make breathing difficult. People with asthma, particularly children, are sensitive to these effects of SO2. At high concentrations, gaseous sulfur oxides (SOx) can harm trees and plants by damaging foliage and decreasing growth. Emissions that lead to high concentrations of SO2 generally also lead to the formation of other SOx. The largest sources of SO2 emissions are from fossil fuel combustion at power plants and other industrial facilities.

Control measures that reduce SO2 can generally be expected to reduce people’s exposures to all gaseous SOx. This may have the important co-benefit of reducing the formation of particulate sulfur pollutants, such as fine sulfate particles.

Learn more about EPA Region 7: www.epa.gov/aboutepa/epa-region-7-midwest