Mission accomplished! The entire Tennessee Valley now meets the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2008 standard for ozone.
KNOXVILLE, TN-It has been a long road, and breathing easy in the Tennessee Valley is better than it’s been in many years. After decades of work to reduce ozone emissions across the Tennessee Valley, the Environmental Protection Agency has re-designated Shelby County, Tenn., from ozone non-attainment to ozone attainment. Shelby County is the final county in the Valley to achieve this status effective July 25, 2016.
“We can all breathe easier now,” said Brenda Brickhouse, TVA’s vice president, Environmental and Energy Policy and Chief Sustainability Officer. “All of us should be proud because of the hard work of business and industries, vehicle manufacturers, and local and state air regulators across the Valley because the region has never measured air quality this good in all parts of the Valley—urban, rural and mountain communities.”
Brenda Brickhouse, TVA’s vice president, Environmental and Energy Policy
TVA is doing its part to keep ozone levels in compliance. Next year TVA estimates that 56 percent of the power it generates will be emissions-free. TVA will achieve President Obama’s target for North America to get 50 percent of its electricity from nonpolluting sources by 2025.
“Environmental sustainability is in TVA’s DNA,” said Brickhouse. “Our mission is to provide clean, reliable and affordable energy to support economic growth in the Tennessee Valley. We will continue our work with local and state officials to engage in sustainable environmental stewardship and to make life better for the people of the Tennessee Valley.”
Media Release/Scott Fiedler
Public Relations & Corp. Info.
Tennessee Valley Authority
