MORPC

A new international air quality monitoring report is making some big claims about pollutants in Columbus.

The projection for the 15 counties in the areas was released by the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission and indicates a lot of the growth will be based on people moving into the region, especially in Franklin and Delaware counties.

For decades, urban and suburban planners focused on cars rather than pedestrians when building infrastructure. Now Columbus and other cities are playing catch-up in adding safe sidewalks and shared-use paths.

Central Ohio is expected to keep growing at an even-faster pace as big projects like Intel’s semiconductor plants in Licking County come online.

The co-op will help educate and support residents that want to install solar panels. Columbus will host free info sessions about solar energy and roof assessments at no charge to home and business owners.

The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission has issued an air quality alert for the central Ohio region, including Franklin, Delaware, Fairfield, and Licking counties.

The proposed Amtrak rail line would link Columbus to Cleveland as well as Cincinnati and Dayton.

Public transportation is a crucial piece of infrastructure for many peoples’ daily needs in Central Ohio. A report released by the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission in March identified rural counties as places with an urgent need for transit.

For the first time since air quality record-keeping began in 1980, no Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups Air Quality Index days for ozone were observed during the ozone forecast season. The air quality was studied from November 2020 to October 2021.

With the bipartisan infrastructure bill passing in the U.S. House, Amtrak will look to expand its services around the country. And there are hints at an Ohio expansion.