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A new American Lung Association report indicates West Virginia's air quality is improving, but still ranks poorly compared to the rest of the country.
The "State of the Air 2015" report indicates the Charleston-Huntington-Ashland metropolitan statistical area ranks 40th-worst out of 381 for year-round particle pollution â improving seven spots.
The Wheeling metro area was tied with the Erie-Meadville, Pa., and Shreveport-Bossier City, La., regions for 23rd-worst, though annual levels have been improving in Wheeling since 2010.
The report comes as WV Attorney General Patrick Morrisey is going to bat in federal court for WV's coal industry to roll back deadlines to decrease emissions from coal generated power plants.
Additionally, West Virginia's rivers and streams have long been under guidelines to eat a limited number of fish because of mercury content linked to emissions from coal fired power plants.
See TWISTED LOGIC OVER POISONED FISH - WV Allows More Fish Eating With Mercury Risk
And West Virginia Fish Consumption Advisories
West Virginia was given particularly poor grades in the report for ozone pollution. Kanawha County received a grade of "D" in the report because ozone reached levels the Environmental Protection Agency considers "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" nine times from 2011 to 2013.
Deborah Brown, President and CEO of the American Lung Association of the Mid-Atlantic, said in a statement that the report indicates mixed results, with some areas like West Virginia showing improvement, others showed increases from last year's report.
"The Charleston metro area can certainly be proud of the progress we've made in cleaning up our air since the first 'State of the Air' report 16 years ago," Brown said. "However, there's still a lot of work to be done to make our air healthy for all of us to breathe."
Brown said cleaner diesel fleets and power plants have helped with reductions, but that more work needs to be done to protect the health of citizens.
Changing rules against emission reduction, often referred to as a reaction to "Obama's War on Coal," has been on ongoing effort by most Mountain State politicians in Charleston and Washington and by the coal industry.
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