Air Quality Empowerment Zones

From The Fresno Bee:

The region's air quality and economy are among the nation's worst. Annual health costs related to air pollution are $3.2 billion. And dirty air each year kills 1,000 residents prematurely.

In response, local officials are crafting a plan they say could bring in $150 million annually in extra federal and state assistance — more than double the annual budget of the local air district. The plan includes an "air quality empowerment zone," which is a new twist on a program that provides tax breaks and incentives in blighted areas.

"Why can't there be an air quality version of an economic enterprise zone?" Fresno Mayor Alan Autry asked. "We need these incentives. We have to have them."