Town of Pinedale statement on Ozone Action Days
Residents asked to minimize ozone precursor emissions
by Town of Pinedale media release
March 22, 2019
Attention Pinedale Residents: We would like to call attention to the Ozone Action Days that have been recently instituted by the Air Quality Division of Wyoming’s Department of Environmental Quality. The Town of Pinedale is doing our part by limiting vehicular activities such as plowing and grading to a minimum in order to reduce any precursor emissions. We apologize for the inconvenience this may cause and appreciate resident understanding and cooperation. Additionally, the Town of Pinedale will be more strongly enforcing the Wyoming no-idling law (§31-5-509) during Ozone Action Days, which states that no vehicle shall remain idling, while parked, for more than 20 minutes.
Ozone is a type of air pollutant created by dangerous levels of volatile organic particles and nitrogen oxide emissions in the air. These pollutants become compounded with weather conditions such as strong temperature inversions, low winds, high amounts of snow cover, and bright sunlight. It can cause many respiratory issues in vulnerable populations, specifically children, the elderly, and people with pre-existing respiratory issues. It is advised that activities involving long durations of outdoor exposure and/or strenuous activity be limited, particularly towards afternoon and evening.
We also ask that Pinedale residents do their part in decreasing these dangerous Ozone emissions where possible by consolidating trips in vehicles, limiting the idling of vehicles & machinery, and eliminating the unnecessary use of wood burning stoves.
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