Glossary
Common terms and acronyms that you may come across when researching air quality in Central Oklahoma:
Association of Central Oklahoma Governments (ACOG): An association of local governments in Canadian, Cleveland, Logan and Oklahoma counties responsible for, among other things, transportation planning in the Central Oklahoma region.
Attainment Area: A geographical area designated by the Environmental Protection Agency as meeting the ambient air quality standards for a specific pollutant.
Central Oklahoma: For the purpose of this report, the seven-county region of Canadian, Cleveland, Grady, Lincoln, Logan, McClain and Oklahoma counties.
Clean Air Alert Day: A weather dispersion index created to predict when elevated levels of ozone could occur. Also known as Ozone Alert Days, or Ozone Action Days, or simply Alert Days, the forecasts are the central focus of a discretionary public education program aimed to curb air pollution caused by ground-level ozone.
Carbon Monoxide (CO): A colorless, odorless, toxic gas produced by any process that involves the incomplete combustion of carbon containing substances. One of the major air pollutants, it is primarily emitted through the exhaust of gasoline-powered vehicles.
Early Action Compact (EAC): A program recognized by the EPA, and similar to the FAR, that allows affected regions to have more local control over air quality programming.
Emissions Inventory (EI): An inventory of criteria pollutants and primary sources.
ENERGY STAR: ENERGY STAR is a United States Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency collaborative program that promotes energy efficient consumer products.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): The federal agency responsible for regulating environmental issues.
Exceedance: Any monitored reading that goes over the national standard. Some pollutant standards can be exceeded once per year without being in violation.
Flexible Attainment Region (FAR): A designation by the Environmental Protection Agency that would prevent immediate non-attainment designation in the event of a violation of federal standards, allow program participants to create a community-based plan to improve air quality using locally selected measures, and create a time frame to implement the measures and monitor their effectiveness.
Hazardous Air Pollutant (HAP): Substances listed as air toxics under the Clean Air Act.
Intermodal Transportation Policy Committee (ITPC): A committee associated with ACOG, comprised of local elected officials. The committee approves issues related to transportation planning in the
Central Oklahoma region.
Intermodal Transportation Technical Committee (ITTC): A committee associated with ACOG, comprised of transportation planning delegates selected by eligible member communities of ACOG.
Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO): A local organization designated by the federal government to be responsible for street, highway and air quality planning for a metropolitan region.
Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA): A large urban area as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau. The Oklahoma City MSA (sometimes referred to as the metropolitan area or Central Oklahoma in this report) includes all of Canadian, Cleveland, Grady, Lincoln, Logan, McClain and Oklahoma counties.
National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS): Standards established by the Environmental Protection Agency for the protection of the public health and welfare. Currently the NAAQS cover particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, carbon monoxide and lead.
Non-attainment Area: Geographical areas designated by the Environmental Protection Agency as not meeting the National Ambient Air Quality Standards established for a specific pollutant. Carbon monoxide non-attainment areas are classified as moderate or severe; ozone non-attainment areas are classified as marginal, moderate, serious, severe or extreme.
Nitrogen Oxides (NOX): Reactive gasses formed from combustion engines and industrial processes. One of the primary ingredients that form ozone.
Oklahoma City Area Regional Transportation Study (OCARTS): The area that encompasses all of Oklahoma and Cleveland Counties and urbanized parts of Canadian, Logan, Grady and McClain Counties. This area has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Transportation in conjunction with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) as the focal area for transportation planning in the metropolitan Oklahoma City area.
Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ): A state agency that regulates environmental policy in the state of Oklahoma.
Ozone (ground level): Ozone pollution is created when hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides from vehicle exhausts and certain industrial emissions react in the presence of strong sunlight. Also known as smog.
Ozone Standard: The Environmental Protection Agency has set the acceptable standard for the ozone pollutant to be less than or equal to .08 parts (.085) per million in an eight-hour period. The fourth highest eight-hour reading taken annually and averaged over three years determines compliance.
Social Marketing: The application of commercial marketing technologies to the analysis, planning, execution and evaluation of programs designed to influence the voluntary behavior of target audiences in order to improve their personal welfare and that of society; also known as Cause Marketing and Change Marketing.
State Implementation Plan (SIP): A SIP must be developed by the state and region. It is the plan for maintaining and/or achieving compliance with the national air quality standards. The SIP describes air quality control measures to be implemented so that an area can return to attainment (compliance) status.
Transportation Systems Management (TSM): Projects undertaken to improve the efficiency of the existing transportation system. The intent is to make better use of the existing transportation system by using short-term, low capital transportation improvements.
Violation: An ozone exceedance of the federal standard once per each three-year average is defined as a violation.
Volatile Organic Compound (VOC): Derived from mostly man-made sources, it is a primary component that makes ground level ozone.
To learn more about ozone vist EPA.gov
air quality glossary
