About the Program

From March through November, the Lawton Metropolitan Area (LMA) experiences a number of days where air quality is determined to be unhealthy for residents and the environment. Typically, these days are associated with high-pressure fronts, high temperatures and light winds. Under these conditions, ground level ozone, or smog, is formed from the photo-chemical combination of fossil fuel emissions and oxygen. Ozone is a harmful gas, which can cause adverse health effects. The most sensitive groups to ozone exposure are children, the elderly, people with respiratory and heart problems and adults who are active outdoors.

To combat the ozone problem, the Lawton Metropolitan Planning Organization Air Quality Stakeholders Advisory Committee (LMPO AQ SHAC) was formed to bring together citizens, business, industry and government in the Lawton Metropolitan Area. Through the efforts of the committee, Clean Air Lawton was developed, designed to inform citizens about the adverse effects of ozone exposure and encourage voluntary action to help reduce ozone-forming emissions on days when LMA is vulnerable to high ozone levels. The LMPO AQ SHAC, a public and private coalition, consists of government, business, industry, health and environmental organizations.