PHOENIX – Maricopa County’s ozone levels are getting worse, harming the health of its 4.5 million residents and threatening to cost the region billions of dollars in the coming years.

The Environmental Protection Agency on Sept. 16 reclassified the county from marginal to moderate for non-attainment of ozone limits. This means we not only are failing the EPA’s latest ozone standards but also that our air has more of one of the most dangerous air pollutants.