As a result of new federal air quality and automobile emissions standards, Centre County now violates mandatory ozone standards, local officials said.

An air quality conformity analysis of the Centre County region earlier this year showed that the quality fell in July into non-attainment for ozone, which means the air no longer meets the federal air quality standards.

Centre County must have its air quality plan of action approved by June 15.

A public meeting will be held tonight to allow local residents to give feedback on the local air quality to Centre County municipalities at 6 p.m. in the College Township municipal building.

"We have to go through modeling exercises," said Centre County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) member Elizabeth Goreham. "We're making sure the air doesn't get worse."

Goreham, who is also a member of the State College Borough Council, said the meeting will explain what the Air Quality Conformity Analysis Report is and what it means for everyone involved.

"It's strictly related to auto emissions," she said. "We're not required to improve the air. We just have to make sure it doesn't get worse."

Trish Meek, Centre Regional Planning Agency transportation planner, said the analysis evaluates the impact on air quality of short-term and long-term transportation projects planned in Centre County.

She said the MPO has to prove that the upcoming transportation projects would keep air quality at 2002's quality standards instead of adding to the problem.

Meek said the June 15 deadline for approvals should not be hard to meet.

She added that if the deadline is not met, Centre County would not receive necessary federal money for projects.

Goreham said construction projects that build more roads or allow higher volumes of automobile traffic on roads would have to be balanced by an increase in public transportation or something else that would counteract the possible additional traffic.

"We have to demonstrate that it will not make the air worse," she said.

Meek said Interstate 80 traffic would be factored into the process as well as local traffic.

"It's all considered as part of the area," she said. "It's not having an impact that's going to throw it off."

Meek said the MPO would get credit for improvements that would improve air quality, such as helping intersection congestion. "Each year we get cleaner cars and gas," she said.

She added that it would be acknowledged that the Centre Area Transportation Authority (CATA) has a "natural gas fleet."

CATA general manager Hugh Mose said he was still trying to familiarize himself with the process.

"It's all a new experience," he said. "There aren't very many people around who know."

State College Borough Manager Tom Fountaine said he received a brief report on the issue, but he doesn't have much information. "I think basically it adds a planning component to transportation," he said.