The Agency approved Virginia's request because there have been no violations of the ozone standard in the Hampton Roads area for the past four years.
Ozone is a caustic gas which is the prime component of smog.
It can cause severe health problems for those suffering from asthma, emphysema, bronchitis and other respiratory illnesses. This should answer those critics who say that environmental protection can only be achieved at the expense of economic growth. Four years without a violation of the standard proves that determined local leaders can protect public health even as the economy flourishes. Virginia's redesignation provides for maintenance of the standard through the year 2008. The Hampton Roads area includes James and York counties, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Chesapeake City, Virginia Beach, Newport News, Williamsburg, and Norfolk.