Tell the St. Louis Department of Health to retain the St. Louis Air Pollution Control Program. Local authority is essential in the region's ability to enforce the Clean Air Act.
Why is this important?
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) has cut all funding to the St. Louis City Air Pollution Control Program (SLAPCP), and the City Department of Health (DOH) has suggested the total elimination of the program in favor of DNR taking over. SLAPCP has stricter regulations that DNR will not have the authority to enforce, introducing a significant threat to health and safety in the St. Louis region.
SLAPCP is already written into the City budget for fiscal year 2012 and has the capacity to operate as a self-funded program using fees defined in City Ordinance 68657. Local monitoring, permitting, and enforcement of air pollution regulations should not be eliminated in the city.
The petition (with 430 signatures) was delivered on August 10, 2011 to the offices of Mayor Slay, Interim Director Walker and Commissioner Moore. We will keep the petition online and continue to collect signatures until the contract with the State expires on Sept. 30, 2011 and may print off and deliver updates at dates or decision points prior to that.
