The Philadelphia region's ninth Ozone Action season kicked off today with an event at City Hall hosted by the Air Quality Partnership and the Philadelphia Diesel Difference Initiative.

The AQP, which provides summertime ground-level ozone forecasts and encourages voluntary actions to reduce pollution, also announced that it has expanded its focus to include year-round forecasting for particle pollution.

Representatives from the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, which administers the Air Quality Partnership; the Philadelphia Diesel Difference; the Environmental Protection Agency; the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection; the Clean Air Council; and the City of Philadelphia recognized regional initiatives to improve air quality.

The Air Quality Partnership presented an award to AstraZeneca for their outstanding efforts to educate the public and their employees about clean air initiatives.

For more information about ozone, particle pollution and joining the Air Quality Partnership, visit: http://www.airqualitypartnership.org .

5/28/2004