Utah Moms for Clean Air

By The Tribune Editorial Board

Sevier subterfuge: County out to foil efforts of its citizens

It seems that since Sevier County officials failed to keep a citizen initiative that they don’t like off the ballot, they’re willing to try subterfuge to make the vote meaningless. At the least, the county attorney and County Commission are engaged in a campaign of aggressive obfuscation apparently aimed at frustrating the democratic right of their con- stituents to have a voice in determining the county’s future health and welfare. The complicated conflict began when a grass-roots group of citizens objected to construction of the Sevier Power Project near Sigurd. The $600 million plant would burn about 940,000 tons of coal per year and spew CO2 and other pollution over the region.

When the County Commission went ahead and approved the plant anyway, the Right to Vote Committee managed to gather more than enough signatures in just over a week to put the proposal on November’s ballot. Their initiative would stop the power plant by revoking the current permit and requiring that voters approve any conditional-use permit for a coal-fired power plant. The group acted quickly, before a constitutionally suspect state law that bans initiatives and referendums on land-use issues went into effect.
At that point, the County Commission members decided not to object to the voter initiative. Instead, they contrived another tack. The initiative as written amends the “conditional-use permit ordinance.” So these public servants labeled the project a “planned-unit development,” which re quires a different kind of permit. Even if voters approve the initiative, it would not block the Sigurd plant. Cute.

The planned-unit development label is ordinarily applied to residential projects that feature clustered housing and ar eas of open space. A power plant is no PUD. A conditional-use permit, on the other hand, is a variance to allow a project to go forward in a zone where it would otherwise be prohibited. Sevier County Attorney Dale Eyre contends that the Sig urd plant was always referred to as a PUD, but an attorney for the citizens group disputes that in a complaint to the Utah Attorney General’s Office, and says he has documents refer ring to a conditional-use permit for the plant. He also says Eyre did not notify the group of the time period when it could contest wording of the initiative.

Even if the county is innocent of skulduggery in this dispute, which seems highly unlikely, it is obviously guilty of standing in the way of citizens exercising their constitution ally protected right to legislate by initiative. That alone pollutes the atmosphere of Sevier County.

Sidenote:
Utah Moms for Clean Air is calling for a moratorium on any NEW coal-fired power plants in Utah. Fortunately, Rocky Mountain Power has gotten the message and has agreed to a 10-year moratrium on new coal (after which they wil re-access the coal climate). However, the power brokers in Sevier County just wont heed the message. The Sevier County Chapter of Utah Moms for Clean Air, along with two other grassroots citizen groups, is working hard to change their minds!!

Cris Cowley of Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment published a fascinating commentary in the Salt Lake Tribune connecting water of the Snake Valley on the Utah - Nevada border with future air quality downwind.

The test case is California’s Owens Valley, one of the saddest stories in a long string of sad tales of water in the West. As every drop of water disappeared from the Owens Valley, the valley became

a dead alkali flat that has become the largest source of particulate air pollution in the United States.

This is the shocking fact that everyone should read twice. If Utah allows Las Vegas to drain the Snake Valley — and the plan is quite similar to what happened in the Owens Valley, we cannot claim ignorance of the consequences.

Utahns would be downwind of the blowing dust from the Snake Valley. We likely would suffer the health consequences of inhaling this dust, with increased respiratory, kidney and liver aliments, and increases in cancer.

Governor John Huntsman can veto the plan to drain Snake Valley. Read the full commentary, then let the Governor know what you think.

More:

• “Don’t let thirsty Las Vegas suck the life out of Utah,” Cris Cowley, Salt Lake Tribune, August 9, 2008.
• Governor John Huntsman’s Office - phone: 801-538-1000, web: http ://governor.utah.gov/goca/concerns.html.

Violations of state pollution allowances by Geneva Rock Products have lead to fines assessed by the Utah Division of Air Quality. The price tag on this pattern of air quality violations is $1,650,396.

Michelle Hofmann, a Salt Lake City pediatrician and co-founder of Utah Moms for Clean Air, said she was pleased with the pollution-reduction efforts. But she pointed to the Geneva case as a disappointing example of corporate responsibility.

Read more about Geneva’s efforts to cut the dust:

• “Air quality violations, upgrades cost Geneva Rock Products Inc. $1.7M,” by Judy Fahys, Salt Lake Tribune, August 8, 2008.

State awaits cash for devices that would help the school vehicles release fewer pollutants

By Lisa Schencker
The Salt Lake Tribune

(Dr. Michelle Hofmann, Utah Moms for Clean Air co-founder, along with representaive Christine Johnson, were instrumental in getting legislation passed that makes retrofitting Utah’s school buses possible. Along with the approriations to retrofit our school buses, they were also able to get mandatory idle education included in the bill which will help bus drivers understand the negative health consequences to themselves and the children of idling unneccessarily.)

Nearly half of Utah’s school buses might soon spout fewer of the pollutants that can harm children and adults. The state’s Division of Air Quality expects to receive $2.3 million in federal, state and local money to help about 1,150 school buses clean up their acts, said Mat Carlile, an environmental planning consultant with the division. The money would go toward installing devices on diesel-power school buses that would keep them from releasing as many pollutants into the air and the insides of buses. “Not only will the air children breathe on the bus be cleaner, it will be cleaner for the rest of us as well,” said Stacee Adams, an environmental planning consultant with the Utah Department of Environmental Quality. Buses with the devices would release 40 percent less particulate matter, which is soot and dust that can damage the lungs, Carlile said. They’d release 60 percent less carbon monoxide and 75 percent less volatile organic compounds, which react with nitrogen and heat to form the pollutant ozone in the summer.
For Utah, that will likely mean 1,360 fewer pounds of particulate matter, 5.77 fewer tons of volatile organic compounds and 18.66 fewer tons of carbon monoxide in the air each year, Carlile said. Murrell Martin, pupil transportation specialist at the Utah State Office of Education, said that’s good news for children, whose lungs are not as fully developed as adults. “Too much exposure can cause damage,” Martin said.

He said four of Utah’s 40 districts - Park City, Davis, Cache and Logan - are already working on installing the devices on their buses with different money. About another 20 districts, he said, have expressed a strong interest in getting the devices. The grants would be used to install devices only on buses built between 1993 and 2006. Buses built since then are already low-emission, Martin said. Marty Latimer, a staff assistant for the Jordan School District’s transportation department, said Jordan will likely pursue getting the devices. Already, he said, 27 of Jordan’s 300 buses are new. Forty-four of the district’s buses use compressed natural gas, meaning they already run clean, he said.
Carlile said the Division of Air Quality, which is part of the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, will get about $400,000 from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), $100,000 appropriated by the Legislature, and will contribute $96,000 itself.

Another $1.5 million will likely come from the Wasatch Front Regional Council and Mountainland Association of Governments, pending final approval by both those bodies, Carlile said. The rest of the money would come from a non-competitive EPA grant, Carlile said. He said the division expects to receive that grant money but will likely know for sure in August. Adams said installation of the devices likely will start next year. The Division of Air Quality, the state education office, the Salt Lake County Mayor’s office, the EPA, Utah Clean Cities, the Utah Department of Transportation, the Wasatch Front Regional Council, Mountainland Association of Governments, Utah Moms for Clean Air, the Wasatch Clean Air Coalition and Utah County all worked together on the issue.

Summer brings us barbeques, pool parties, mountain biking, sundresses and wonderful balmy evenings, but it also ushers in ozone season. And unfortunately, this summer has seen one health advisory after another being released by the Utah Department of Air Quality. Today, Pioneer Day, ozone exceeded the threshold deemed safe by the EPA of 75 ppb (parts per billion), just as it did yesterday and the day before.

But what is ozone and should we worry about it?

Ozone is a gas that occurs both in the Earth’s upper atmosphere and at ground level. Ozone can be “good” or “bad” for your health and the environment, depending on its location in the atmosphere. Ground-level ozone is one of six criteria pollutants that is deemed harmful to public health (http://www.epa.gov/air/criteria.html) and is thus monitored nation-wide.

Breathing ozone can trigger a variety of health problems including chest pain, coughing, throat irritation, and congestion. It can worsen bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma. “Bad” ozone also can reduce lung function and inflame the linings of the lungs. Repeated exposure may permanently scar lung tissue. In essence, ozone exposure gives your lungs a “sunburn. OUCH!

Healthy people also experience difficulty breathing when exposed to ozone pollution. Because ozone forms in hot weather, anyone who spends time outdoors in the summer may be affected, particularly children, outdoor workers and people exercising. Millions of Americans — including Utahns — live in areas where the national ozone health standards are exceeded.

Ground-level or “bad” ozone also damages vegetation and ecosystems. It leads to reduced agricultural crop and commercial forest yields, reduced growth and survivability of tree seedlings, and increased susceptibility to diseases, pests and other stresses such as harsh weather. In the United States alone, ground-level ozone is responsible for an estimated $500 million in reduced crop production each year.

How Can Ozone Be Both Good and Bad?

Ozone occurs in two layers of the atmosphere. The layer closest to the Earth’s surface is the troposphere. Here, ground-level or “bad” ozone is an air pollutant that is harmful to breathe and it damages crops, trees and other vegetation. It is a main ingredient of urban smog. The troposphere generally extends to a level about 6 miles up, where it meets the second layer, the stratosphere. The stratosphere or “good” ozone layer extends upward from about 6 to 30 miles and protects life on Earth from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays.

What Causes “Bad” Ozone?

Ground-level or “bad” ozone is not emitted directly into the air, but is created by chemical reactions between oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOC) in the presence of sunlight. Emissions from industrial facilities and electric utilities, motor vehicle exhaust, gasoline vapors, and chemical solvents are some of the major sources of NOx and VOC. Tailpipe emissions are the number one culprit in the creation of ozone.

What Is Being Done About “Bad” Ozone?

Under the Clean Air Act, EPA has set protective health-based standards for ozone in the air we breathe. (These guidelines were recently revised, making the standard more stringent. However, Utah Moms for Clean Air petitioned the EPA arguing that the standard of 75 ppb was not adequate to protect public health. The medical literature suggests that negative health impacts are seen as low as 40 ppb.)

Throughout the country, including in Utah, additional programs are being put into place to cut NOx and VOC emissions from vehicles, industrial facilities, and electric utilities. Programs are also aimed at reducing pollution by reformulating fuels and consumer/commercial products, such as paints and chemical solvents, that contain VOC.

What can you do?

So what can you do to help reduce your contribution to ozone and protect you and your family? Start by signing-up for air alerts at the Utah Department of Air Quality (http://www.airquality.utah.gov/). DAQ will alert you at least one day in advance when our air is predicted to be unhealthy. Ozone typically peaks in mid-afternoon, so on red and yellow air alert days avoid physical exertion during the hottest part of the day, when ozone, which again is sunlight dependant, reaches its greatest levels. Exercise instead in the early morning or after dark. On bad air days like today, I also do my best to keep my kids inside during peak ozone hours (ozone breaks down quickly indoors).

As for your reducing your contribution to ozone please consider the following, especially on Red and Yellow alert days:

• Refrain from using a gas-powered lawn mower, blower, trimmer or weed cutter. Your neighbors will thank you just for the reduction in noise pollution!

• Fill your gas tank during cooler evening hours.

• Reduce driving by carpooling, taking public transit, walking, biking or telecommuting.

• Do not idle your car for more than 10 seconds. (An idling car emits 20 times more pollution than one driving at 30 miles per hour)

• Use low or no VOC paint. (Check-out the Green Building Center in Salt Lake City for sources).

• Set your thermostat a few degrees higher in the summer (saving energy saves you money and saves our air).

• Send letters to Governor Huntsman and other elected officials demanding action on our poor air quality (Salt Lake City gets an “F” grade from the American Lung Association!)

Together, we can make a difference. Together, we can create a future where we can all breathe freely — and where ozone stays off our pool party guest list!

*Much of the information above was gratefully borrowed from a June 2003 EPA brochure entitled: “Ozone.”

This has been a week of red air quality alerts. We can expect this to continue until storms arrive — possibly Saturday.

[Photo from Salt Lake Tribune, July 11, 2008.]

CHECK air quality for your city.

Read more:

• “Temperatures will slump a bit, but the bad air is going to hang around,” by Judy Fahys, Salt Lake Tribune, July 11, 2008.

The state of Utah will soon shift 16-17,000 employees to 4-day work weeks. In addition to reducing the emissions from power used to heat and cool buildings, this means reducing emissions from commuters.

Our big question is:
will Friday closures mean better air quality?

Read more:

• “Utah becomes first state to make big-time shift to 4-day work week,” by Robert Gehrke. Salt Lake Tribune, June 26, 2008.

The Salt Lake Tribune leads the editorial page today with “Ozone season: Our only defense is driving less in summer.”

We write a lot about ozone. Local papers have been writing a lot about ozone. State government has been addressing the problem of ozone. I suspect that if you are reading this, you have already heard a lot about ozone.

Not everyone understands how the deadly mix that becomes ozone is made, though. The better we understand the problem and its causes, the better we can take actions to change it.

[V]ehicle exhaust, industrial emissions, chemical fumes and wildfire smoke all cook in high-90s heat and create air that’s not safe for people with respiratory or heart problems, the very young or the elderly. Our only defense against this invisible threat is staying indoors and driving less.

The new, tighter ozone standard from the EPA will warn us of dangers at lower levels than last summer. But, health professionals and others still say the standard is not tight enough. We need to do more than just meet a compromise ozone standard. We need to act on every level to lessen emissions that contribute to ozone. Let’s start where we each have the most control.

So it’s up to us to take steps to clean up the air, beyond what the government requires. Ozone season should also be the season for taking public transportation and leaving the car at home as much as possible. Our health depends on it.

Read more:

• “Ozone season: Our only defense is driving less in summer,” Editorial, Salt Lake Tribune, June 23, 2008.