Minnesota Pollution Control Agency sent this bulletin at 01/03/2017 01:55 PM CST
The Air We Breathe: The state of Minnesota’s air quality, 2017
Today the MPCA released our biennial report on Minnesota’s
air quality, The Air
We Breathe: The state of Minnesota’s air quality, 2017.The report shares the status of the state’s
air quality and what the MPCA and our partners are doing to continue to make
improvements to protect the health of all Minnesotans.
Overall, Minnesota’s air quality is good.Levels of pollution in outdoor air have been
going down for the past 30 years, even while the gross state product increases.Nonetheless, air pollution still impacts
people’s health.And lower-income
communities and communities of color are more vulnerable to the effects of air
pollution.The MPCA is working to reduce
air pollution across the state, with particular emphasis on reducing exposures
in overburdened communities.
Since the beginning of the Clean Air Act, we’ve made great
strides in reducing emissions from large “smokestack” facilities.Today, most of the pollution in the state
comes from smaller, more widespread sources in our neighborhoods.Pollution from these sources poses new
challenges for the MPCA as well as opportunities to develop innovative and
collaborative methods for reducing emissions.
The MPCA looks forward to continuing to work with our
partners in communities, non-profits, local governments, and businesses to help
ensure that Minnesota’s air is healthy for everyone to breathe.