April 9, 2004—For innovative air quality improvement efforts, 13 local and state governments, industries, and citizens groups received national recognition at the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) fourth annual Clean Air Excellence Awards ceremony in Washington, DC, on March 23. The 13 awardees are listed by category below:
- CLEAN AIR TECHNOLOGY
- Networkcar Company, CA—Remote Smog Check Technology: continuous monitoring and wireless reporting system for vehicle emissions.
- IdleAire Technology—Advance Travel Center Electrification to provide services to prevent unnecessary idling at truck stops.
- Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, MI—”Fumes to Fuel” Process captures airborne solvents from the automotive painting operations and converts them into fuel for electricity.
- Flint Hill Resources, Pine Bend, MN, and Corpus Christi, TX—Refinery Flare Reduction Project to prevent hydrocarbon emissions.
- Packaging Corporation of America, Tomahawk, WI—Innovative technology to reduce emissions of hazardous air pollutants.
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT/RE-DEVELOPMENT
- Centralina Council of Governments and the Catawba Regional Council of Governments, Charlotte, Gastonia, and Rock Hill, NC—”Sustainable Environment for Quality of Life,” a local government partnership to address environmental issues on a regional basis.
EDUCATION/OUTREACH
- Ventura County Air Pollution Control District, CA—Public Awareness Health and Air Pollution Campaign, a partnership with the medical community to inform people about air pollution prevention and health.
- City of Victoria and Victoria College, Victoria, TX–Keep it Clean Campaign to educate the community about air quality issues and reduce emissions associated with urban growth.
- Wisconsin Partners for Clean Air, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and R.A.M. Products, Ltd; Southeastern WI–Gas Cap Wrench Program to prevent gasoline evaporation through the distribution of 30,000 gas cap wrenches.
REGULATORY/POLICY INNOVATIONS
- State of North Carolina and Multiple Partners—Clean Smokestacks Act, state legislation requiring power companies to reduce emissions by about 75 percent in ten years.
- 3M—Investment in the Environment and Education to reinvest proceeds from emissions reduction credits as donations or resources to promote environmentally beneficial projects and programs.
TRANSPORTATION EFFICIENCY INNOVATIONS
- Acadia National Park, Maine Department of Transportation, Mount Desert Island League of Towns, Downeast Transportation, Inc., Friends of Acadia, Tom Crikelair Associates, and L.L. Bean—Island Explorer Propane Shuttle Bus, a fare-free seasonal public transport system providing service to Acadia National Park and towns and villages on Mount Desert Island, Maine.
THOMAS W. ZOSEL OUTSTANDING INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
- James M. Lents, Ph. D; Trenton, NJ—a widely acknowledged leader in national and international air quality arenas, responsible for numerous technical and policy breakthroughs in the field of air quality.
The Clean Air Excellence Awards, sponsored by EPA, recognize and honor outstanding projects, programs, and individuals achieving cleaner air. The program was established in 2000 at the recommendation of the Clean Air Act Advisory Committee, a senior-level policy committee that advises EPA on issues related to implementing the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990.
