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This Week
Official: Fed ozone limits could cripple Valley growth BY PAUL MARYNIAK Foothills Focus Staff Writer
T OPINION............. 9
Judy Bluhm writes about the egg debacle
BUSINESS.......... 14
Maricopa Home & Garden Show’s 30th anniversary
FEATURES......... 18
Stories appeal to bluesman Tommy Castro
OPINION.......................9 BUSINESS.................. 13 FEATURES................. 16 YOUTH....................... 20 CLASSIFIEDS............. 22 Zone I
Wednesday, January 11, 2023
he Phoenix Metro region could lose more than $100 million in economic growth if it fails to meet upgrade federal air quality standards for ozone levels by August 2024, a Valley environmental official told Phoenix City Council recently. And those losses would steadily increase over the next 20 years to as much as $848 million if the Valley’s ozone levels are not brought under control, Tim Franquist, environmental policy director for the Maricopa Association of Governments told council’s Community and Cultural Investment Subcommittee Jan. 4. Moreover, the controls necessary to meet more stringent federal air quality controls
will carry a substantial cost to taxpayers, he indicated. “That’s going to be a big issue for this area,” he continued. “We really haven’t put in ozone-control measures for about 20 years, so we’re definitely going to need a lot more measures coming into place.” Right now, the only way the Valley could meet the elevated Environmental Protection Agency’s ozone limits would be taking all four million gasoline-powered motor vehicles in Maricopa County off the road by August 2024, Franquist said. And even then, he added, “we would barely make the standard.” And since that’s a virtual impossibility, the cost of meeting tougher air quality standards will come in lost industrial development opportunities as businesses avoid
relocating or expanding here rather than pay for federally-imposed, tougher emission controls. That cost would extend beyond the Valley since tougher emission standards would exist even for trucks and cars that come into the region on a regular basis from other parts of the state and country that may not have similarly tough standards, he said. It also would be reflected in other ways, Franquist said, such as higher construction permit fees and more stringent vehicle emissions inspection standards. “It impacts us by aborting businesses,” he said, noting that the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. plant in north Phoenix theoretically would need a permit and
see OZONE page 4
Youth-led nonprofit supports active duty, veterans BY SUMMER AGUIRRE Foothills Focus Staff Writer
V
eterans and deployed heroes will find support in Anthem, where the nonprofit Youth for Troops works tirelessly to help those who serve our country. Youth for Troops’ mission is to inspire patriotism and encourage youth and families to volunteer on behalf of veterans, service members and
see TROOPS page 6
2022 was the nonprofit Youth for the Troops’ most successful year yet. (Youth for Troops/Submitted)
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