Day after day of red alerts and avoiding outdoor exposure can be wearisome. How about some good news? Utah Division of Air Quality has issued notification that they anticipate a green air quality day for Wednesday, August 1st.
This doesn’t mean the air is clean, but it does mean that they anticipate no health impacts from the expected range of ozone, particulate matter, and the other common air pollutants.
That’s it. Just good news.
Utah Division of Air Quality has issued a Yellow Air Quality Action in Cache, Salt Lake, Davis, Utah, and Weber Counties for Tuesday, July 31. These levels come from readings at air monitoring stations throughout Utah and next-day expectations based on these readings.
CACHE County: Air Quality Condition: Moderate level- Yellow Air Quality Action
Health advisory: NoneSALT LAKE & DAVIS counties: Air Quality Condition: Moderate level - Yellow Air Quality Action
Health Advisory: NoneUTAH County: Air Quality Condition: Moderate level -Yellow Air Quality Action
Health Advisory: NoneWEBER County: Air Quality Condition: Moderate level -Yellow Air Quality Action
Health Advisory: None
For an alternate version of Utah air quality, see the national Air Now website from EPA, NOAA, NPS, and other partners. Though their specific data for Utah comes from the same Utah Department of Environmental Quality Air Monitoring Center as the alert above, the conclusions are sometimes different.
A Utah Moms for Clean Air member, Debbie Sigman, has taken action to contact legislators and regulators about the state’s flex-fuel fleet. First, she explains the situation.
In last Thursday’s Salt Lake Tribune, columnist Rebecca Walsh describes the bureaucratic situation that has led Utah to own large numbers of E-85 flex-fuel cars – and run them on gasoline, at higher emissions than ordinary gasoline cars.
There was also another article on the state’s flex-fuel fleet in the Tribune a week ago.
Margaret Chambers, the fleet director, returned my call in a matter of minutes, and we had a very pleasant conversation. The upshot is, that she intends to purchase hybrids to the extent possible from here on out, but she is hampered by the omission of hybrids from the 1992 Federal EPACT law which mandates that states purchase 75% flex-fuel vehicles. The State is allowed to count “displaced fuel” of the hybrids towards the quota, but not the entire mileage capacity of the vehicle. (The U of U and USU still purchase CNG vehicles, which also count towards the quota.) The remainder of the quota must be filled by the more affordable and flexible E-85 cars (at $12,000 savings each over CNG cars), even though we have almost no ethanol west of the Rockies.
There is no current legislation to amend the 1992 law, but an effort is being assembled by the National Association of Fleet Administrators. To speed our transition to a hybrid fleet, we can ask our Senators and Representatives to support updating EPACT.
Because Senator Hatch has said in speeches that he thinks plug-in hybrids are a great idea, she sent him the following letter.
Children have particular vulnerability to chemical exposure as they grow, finds a World Health Organization study released last week.
Principles for Evaluating Health Risks in Children Associated with Exposure to Chemicals, is the most comprehensive work yet undertaken on the scientific principles to be considered in assessing health risks in children. It highlights the fact that in children, the stage in their development when exposure occurs may be just as important as the magnitude of the exposure.
Exposures examined include air contaminants as well as water contaminants, pesiticides, lead, and other environmental threats.
Monday, July 30, is a Red Air Quality Action day for the Wasatch Front with a Yellow Air Quality Action day in Cache County.
CACHE County: Air Quality Condition: Moderate level- Yellow Air Quality Action
Health advisory: NoneSALT LAKE & DAVIS counties: Air Quality Condition: Unhealthy for Sensitive People - Red Air Quality Alert
Health Advisory: Sensitive people (those with respiratory or heart disease, the elderly and children) should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors.UTAH County: Air Quality Condition: Unhealthy for Sensitive People - Red Air Quality Alert
Health Advisory: Sensitive people (those with respiratory or heart disease, the elderly and children) should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors.WEBER County: Air Quality Condition: Unhealthy for Sensitive People - Red Air Quality Alert
Health Advisory: Sensitive people (those with respiratory or heart disease, the elderly and children) should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors.
Yellow and Red Alerts are quite rough estimates. Air quality can vary throughout the day, and throughout the area. For more details, you can call the Air Quality Hotline, where conditions are updated twice daily.
1. Residents in Salt Lake and Davis counties may call (801) 975-4009.
2. Residents in Utah and Weber counties may call (800) 228-5434.
See Utah Division of Air Quality for more details.
Utah Division of Air Quality has issued a Red Air Quality Alert for Sunday, July 29th in Salt Lake, Davis, Utah, and Weber Counties.
CACHE County: Air Quality Condition: Moderate level- Yellow Air Quality Action
Health advisory: NoneSALT LAKE & DAVIS counties: Air Quality Condition: Unhealthy for Sensitive People - Red Air Quality Alert
Health Advisory: Sensitive people (those with respiratorey or heart disease, the elderly and children) should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors.UTAH County: Air Quality Condition: Unhealthy for Sensitive People - Red Air Quality Alert
Health Advisory: Sensitive people (those with respiratorey or heart disease, the elderly and children) should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors.WEBER County: Air Quality Condition: Unhealthy for Sensitive People - Red Air Quality Alert
Health Advisory: Sensitive people (those with respiratorey or heart disease, the elderly and children) should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors.
Specifically, they have issued the following request to all on the Wasatch Front.
You are asked to drive as little as possible during red and yellow days because cars contribute significantly to the area’s air pollution. Information on actions you can take to reduce pollution is available on the ‘Choose Clean Air’ web site at www.cleanair.utah.gov.
I was interested to see that Environmental Defense now has a medical doctor, Dr. John Balbus, answering environmental health questions in a regular column on their website. In his first Q&A, he has addressed the subject of air quality Red Alert days — what are they, are there more recently, and what is causing the problem.
People with poorly controlled asthma and other lung disease or with heart disease have the greatest reason to be concerned about breathing the air on red alert days, because high levels of air pollution can trigger serious problems, like asthma or heart attacks. Even people without these diseases may suffer long-term heart and lung damage from repeated exposure.
Read the whole post on air quality, red alert days and public health.
We’re passing on the following information from Utah Clean Energy.
Two important federal energy bills are slated for a Congressional vote as early as this week. One would require utilities to produce 20% of their electricity from renewable sources by the year 2020 (HR 969) and the other requires cars and trucks to average 35 miles per gallon by 2018 (HR 1506).
Please consider contacting your legislator to express your support of HR Bill 969 and HR Bill 1506 sometime this week (by July 27).
Points to consider in your comments could include: diversification of our energy portfolio, energy security, jobs in the clean energy industry (renewables and efficiency), improved air quality, reduced fuel costs, etc.
Contact information for Utah’s Representatives:
Congressman Jim Matheson (2nd District)
(202) 255-3011, Toll Free (877) 677-9743
Email via www.house.gov/matheson/contact.shtmlCongressman Rob Bishop (1st District)
(202) 255-0453, (801) 625-0107
Email via www.robbishop.house.gov/ContactMeCongressman Chris Cannon (3rd District)
(202) 255-7751, (801) 851-2500
Email via cannon.ut03@mail.house.govUtah Clean Energy
1014 2nd Avenue
Salt Lake City , UT 84103
www.utahcleanenergy.org