Bangor has some of the cleanest air in the United States, according to a new report from the American Lung Association.
The Queen City is the only city in the nation that made it onto all three of the health association’s lists of clean air metrics. Those metrics are: ozone pollution, short-term particle pollution, and year-round particle pollution levels.
Cities are classified by a letter grade for ozone pollution and short-term particle pollution. Bangor earned an “A” grade for having “zero days of unhealthy air” during the data-collecting period between 2022 and 2024.
Bangor also ranks third best on the ALA’s list of cities with the lowest year-round particle pollution levels. Cities are ranked by the average levels of particles as reported by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Bozeman, Montana, takes the number one spot in the list of cities with the cleanest air.
Los Angeles tops the list – again – for having the worst ozone pollution in the country, while Bakersfield, California, has the worst year-round particle pollution levels for the seventh year in a row.
Short-term particle pollution levels are the worst in Fairbanks, Alaska, according to the report.
Anne Krieg, Bangor’s director of community & economic development department, told CNN that the city’s clean air is “an important part of our brand,” and that the healthy environment is one aspect of the area that draws in visitors from around the state and country.
Bangor is located in an area where weather systems and the large swaths of forested land helps to keep air quality high. There is also a significant distance between the city and large pollutants, such as pulp and tissue mills. The ND Paper Mill in Old Town has been shut down since 2023, when an “extended” pause in production was announced.
According to the ALA, more than four out of every 10 people in the U.S. live in an area with significant air pollution.
Paper mills in neighboring communities, including Bucksport and Lincoln, have been closed for years, lowering air pollution throughout the region.
Maine legislators continue to push to improve pollutant containment and cleanup protocols, including multiple efforts to address the widespread presence of PFAS in drinking water and farm land.
The presence of PFAS, known as “forever chemicals,” has plagued the state since they were identified as pollutants that are present in almost every aspect of the environment. Studies of Penobscot Bay are the latest effort to understand the spread of the chemicals throughout various regions of Maine.
