Lung Association Says CDA Has Clean Air; But DEQ Not So Sure

Good news for Coeur d'Alene- the American Lung Association says the city has some of the cleanest air in the U.S. for amount of smog.

But the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality doesn't necessarily agree, saying Coeur d'Alene -- and the Kootenai County airshed -- are edging closer to violating air quality standards.

Here's the rest of the story.

To give you some background, KMPO has been working with the state legislature to try to prevent vehicle emissions testing in Kootenai County. We feel that the ozone issue is not a threat at this time and there are other measures that can be taken rather than going to a punitive regulatory program. For example, a public information campaign on how to limit ozone emissions (such as not leaving your car idling)could cut down on pollution. There are also low cost measures that could be implemented at gas stations such as installing vapor recovery systems to eliminate a lot of the precursors to ozone.