According to a new report from the American Lung Association [1], the air quality in the Hudson Valley has improved, although tighter standards are still needed, reports the Times Herald-Record [2].

Air quality has improved in both Orange and Ulster counties.The 2008 State of the Air [3] report finds that while counties like Orange and Ulster have seen improvements in air quality with ratings that improved from an F to a D and a C to an A respectively, Westchester still earns an F due to ozone pollution. Sullivan County was not ranked.

Ground-level ozone and particle pollution account for the air contaminants in the Hudson Valley. The Environmental Protection Agency [4] set regulations to clean them up in the late 1990s, and in March tightened the ozone standards. Although some of the improvements shown in the report are due to these tightened standards, the ALA says further regulation is needed.