Although significant gains are being made in reducing pollution, according to the American Lung Association and local officials, the Association is still giving Nevada County a “C” for air quality, in its annual “State of the Air” report. The Association also continues to give “F’s” for most regional counties for unhealthy ozone days, even though it says there’s been a 53-percent drop in the Sacramento region from 2012-2014. Sam Longmire is the air pollution control specialist for the Northern Sierra Air Quality Management District. He says Nevada County’s ozone pollution is seldom generated from local sources…

click to listen to Sam Longmire

Longmire also questions the American Lung Association’s methodology…

click to listen to Sam Longmire

The Association also says unhealthy spikes in particle pollution have fallen 76-percent in the Sacramento region, but Nevada County only gets a “C”. It says improvements have been driven by passenger vehicle and diesel emission controls, along with strong local wood burning restrictions in the valley.