State advocates Early Action Compact  by Cling Confehr (Williamson County, TN Review Appeal, April 23, 2004) reports that the area avoided EPA sanctions for not meeting the nation’s clean air standard. Those sanctions could have denied road funding, required more auto emission tests, and stopped industrial development in the area. How did they dodge the bullet?

"EPA delayed such sanctions because Williamson and other Middle Tennessee counties struck and agreement — an Early Action Compact — to do things differently when smog is too thick.

Under the agreement, businesses will: encourage car pooling; fuel their fleets days later or at night; let certain employees work at home; and have maintenance crews defer work which adds to air pollution such as mowing lawns or painting outside."

First Tennessee Banks, for example, will allow employees in “back office jobs” such as accounting, researching and marketing to telecommute, substituting a computer and the Internet to reduce their use of cars.

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