It is almost a sacrilege to think about making it illegal for old vehicles to be driven on the highways in Mississippi no matter how much black smoke is coming out of the tailpipe. But in the future residents of the Coast and in DeSoto County might have to choose between placing tighter regulations on emissions from vehicles and power plants or not being able to allow the permitting of new industry that produces air pollution. Ozone, the major ingredient in smog, can cause chest pain, breathing problems and congestion.
Ozone can also damage forests and crops.
The three Coast counties and DeSoto County, which is part of the Memphis metropolitan area, are expected to be in non-attainment with new EPA guidelines for ozone. Palmer said there are two new ambient air standards that are causing concern about impacts to future development. Besides the ozone standard, the EPA has also adopted a new, more stringent standard for particulate matter. The state is just starting to install monitors for measuring particulate matter, so it isn t known yet whether that will be of concern. But monitoring of ozone has been done around the state for years.