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RCGA ENVIRONMENTAL
COUNCIL HELPS SAVE THE DAY,
HELPING REGION MEET AIR QUALITY GOALS
Pull about $350 million each year from the coffers of local businesses
without adding to production, wages or plant capacity. Eliminate
the entire St. Louis region from serious consideration as the site
for new or expanded manufacturing (light and heavy) or distribution
locations. Limit the daytime operation of construction equipment.
Give control of local and state environmental regulations to the
federal government. Maybe even eliminate federal highway funding.
As unpleasant as it is to imagine any one of these things happening
in St. Louis, try imagining that all of the above were within days,
maybe even hours, of befalling this region on at least two occasions
over the past six years.
It is very difficult to quantify the impact of something that has
not happened. But, it is apparent that failure to meet federal air
quality standards is extremely serious business. At one point in
time, five major metropolitan areas across the U.S. were targeted
for “bump-up” and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-levied penalties
associated with failure to meet air quality guidelines. St. Louis
was the only one of those five that did not get bumped-up.
This “reprieve” was no accident. Nor was it a fluke or gift. Hard
work, coordination and dedication were the main ingredients. While
the decade-plus long effort involved significant contributions from
many, many institutions, individuals and agencies, the success of
the endeavor in a very large part can be tied to the commitment
and dogged determination of a handful of folks on the RCGA Environmental
Council.
In the mid 1990s, policymakers in Missouri were not satisfied that
the U.S. EPA was either serious or justified in requiring unpopular
air quality control measures that impacted not only the business
community, but the citizenry at large (tailpipe testing, etc.).
Against that backdrop of cynicism, communication and coordination
of timely and accurate information became a tremendous challenge
and barrier to substantive progress toward compliance with federal
law.
Members of the Air Committee of the RCGA’s Environmental Council
played an integral role in facilitating information flow and brokering
much needed discussion between key parties. On numerous occasions,
RCGA volunteers, led by Frank Hackmann (Partner, Sonnenschein Nath
& Rosenthal & immediate past RCGA Board Vice Chair for Environment),
Melissa Hart (Senior Manager at ENVIRON International Corporation
& past chair of the RCGA’s Environmental Council) and Ken Hagg (Senior
Environmental Consultant at URS Corporation & current RCGA Board
Vice Chair for Environment) all worked closely with state and federal
regulators and policymakers to fully understand the intricacies
of the federal Clean Air Act and the implications of various policy
and statutory decisions. Hackmann, Hart and Hagg frequently found
themselves representing the region flanked by senior regulatory
officials, making appeals and giving formal testimony for much needed
policy support.
As a result, the U.S. EPA recently acknowledged that the St. Louis
region had achieved its clean air goal. Of note is the new challenge
of achieving an even tighter air quality standard, which goes into
effect in 2004. Taking lessons from the past, the RCGA will continue
to provide leadership and foster the sort of coordination necessary
to meet this new standard on a much more timely basis.
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