EPA Designations Signal Boon For Some, Bane for Others.

When the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency unveiled its latest tally of states with significant air pollution, there was mixed news for construction. The April 15 announcement that 474 counties in 31 states did not meet new standards for ground-level ozone could mean new work for firms that retrofit powerplants and other industrial facilities. But in some cases it could halt federal highway construction projects in counties that do not decrease ozone levels by a targeted date. One is the proposed Clean Air Interstate Rule that would reduce powerplant emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides that blow across state lines and significantly boost pollution levels in downwind cities.