As Los Angeles prepares to host the Democratic National Convention next week, local officials are talking up the city’s improved air quality. Since 1960, the last year the city hosted the DNC, the region has reduced its peak ozone levels by 68 percent. There were no smog alerts in the city last year and there have been none so far this year, compared to 102 in 1976. Local officials also gleefully point out that Houston surpassed L.A. last year to become the nation’s smog capitol. Still, enviros stress that the city’s air needs to be cleaned up further. Air quality is also improving across the nation, according to a new EPA report, which found that emissions of six major pollutants have fallen markedly over the past decade. Even with the improvement, however, 62 million Americans live in areas with unhealthful air.
