Testimony
of
Heather
Quinlan
University
of
California­
Riverside
Student
Environmental
Protection
Agency
Public
Hearing
Alexandria,
Virginia
June
27,
2003
My
name
is
Heather
Quinlan.
I
am
a
fourth
year
environmental
science
student
at
the
University
of
California
at
Riverside.
This
summer
I
am
interning
in
Washington,
DC
with
the
National
Parks
Conservation
Association.
I
thank
you
for
the
opportunity
to
speak
to
you
this
afternoon.

I
come
before
you
today
asking
for
a
more
rapid
and
strict
set
of
implementation
plans
for
the
8­

hour
ozone
standard.

Ground­
level
ozone
is
bad
for
the
economy,
causing
a
loss
of
productivity
due
to
human
health
problems,
as
well
as
mounting
medical
bills.
Ozone
is
a
major
contributor
to
a
variety
of
respiratory
problems,
including
decreased
lung
function,
asthma,
and
emphysema.
According
to
the
American
Lung
Association,
ozone
is
"
one
of
the
most
damaging
and
most
pervasive
of
the
common
outdoor
pollutants."
The
cost
of
medical
care
for
these
conditions
and
the
lost
production
from
sick
days
is
a
tremendous
burden
on
polluted
areas.

Ozone
also
negatively
affects
our
natural
environment,
with
consequences
ranging
from
decreased
agricultural
production
and
forest
damage
to
diminished
aesthetic
conditions.

Commercial
forestry
and
agriculture
experience
lower
yields
and
lower
profits
due
to
ozonerelated
plant
damage.
The
beauty
of
our
national
parks
and
other
natural
spaces
is
obscured
behind
some
of
the
worst
air
pollution
in
the
nation.
National
parks
are
designated
as
Class
I
areas
that
warrant
the
strictest
air
pollution
protection
under
the
Clean
Air
Act,
yet
they
continue
to
experience
forest
damage
due
to
elevated
levels
of
ozone.

The
switch
to
an
8­
hour
standard
of
80
parts
per
billion
is
a
step
in
the
right
direction.
However,

it
will
do
little
to
improve
the
current
state
of
the
air
unless
it
is
implemented
in
a
timely
and
effective
manner.
The
proposal
set
forth
by
the
EPA
allows
too
much
leeway
for
nonattainment
areas.
Attainment
deadlines
need
to
be
enforced
and
not
extended,
pushing
the
heaviest
polluters
to
clean
up
their
systems
on
schedule.
New
source
review
and
transportation
conformity
cannot
be
left
out
of
Early
Action
Compacts,
which,
if
they
were,
could
cause
an
uneven
distribution
of
air
pollution
within
a
region.
The
Clean
Air
Act
needs
to
be
enforced
in
its
entirety,
without
weakening
various
provisions
at
the
expense
of
our
health.

Before
I
conclude,
I
would
like
to
share
my
own
experiences
of
living
with
ozone
pollution.
I
grew
up
and
still
live
in
San
Bernardino
County
in
California,
the
county
with
the
worst
ozone
pollution
in
the
country.
As
a
child,
my
lungs
would
hurt
after
swimming
in
the
pool
or
playing
outside.
Even
now,
clear
views
of
the
local
mountains
happen
only
in
winter,
if
we're
lucky.

Group
hiking
trips
into
the
hills
surrounding
UCR
are
often
cancelled
due
to
the
dense
cloud
of
particulates
and
smog
that
rest
against
the
hills.
In
fact,
San
Bernardino
National
Forest
is
prime
for
the
largest
forest
fire
there
in
recent
history,
in
part
due
to
ozone
damage
of
plant
tissues.

Presently,
I
have
been
living
in
Washington,
DC
for
a
week,
and
instead
of
jogging
past
monuments
and
museums,
I
exercise
in
a
building,
unable
to
enjoy
the
sights
of
our
beautiful
capital.
I
do
this
to
protect
my
health,
because
the
regulations
do
not.

In
conclusion,
it
is
my
opinion
that
nonattainment
areas
have
had
too
long
already
to
fix
the
ozone
pollution
problem.
The
quality
and
duration
of
human
life
are
influenced
by
the
decisions
that
will
be
made
regarding
this
issue.
I
ask
the
EPA
to
protect
human
health
and
the
natural
environment
by
implementing
and
enforcing
a
more
forceful
ozone
implementation
policy.

Thank
you.

Contact
Information:
Heather
Quinlan
11840
Overland
Dr.
Fontana,
CA
92337
(
202)
454­
3316
(
909)
333­
3749
(
cell)
quinlh01@
juno.
com
