DEQ Faces Stricter Ozone Standards
Mar 13, 2008 by Eric Ray
(KCPW News) Utah could face the loss of federal highway funds, among other penalties, if the state Department of Environmental Quality is unable to meet new ozone air pollution standards set forth this week by the Environmental Protection Agency.Department spokesperson Donna Spangler says several areas in Utah, including Salt Lake, Davis and Box Elder counties, are already barely meeting the current standard of 80 parts per billion. The EPA set the new standard at 75 parts per billion.
Spangler says it will take tighter regulations for industry, including gas stations, as well as the general public in order to meet the new standards. The Utah Legislature is trying to help the department. Lawmakers appropriated an extra $2 million per year in ongoing funds, and $200,000 in one-time money for the upcoming fiscal year to help the DEQ's efforts.
Email to a friendPosted in KCPW Newsroom. Copyright 2008 KCPW
1. Michael T Packard said:
The key pollutant is NOx, oxides of nitrogen.
Diesel vehicles are especially good at making NOx out of the primary components of our atmosphere, nitrogen and oxygen.
It is presumed by many and propagandized endlessly by UTA that transit helps clean the air.
Actually, as the recent Legislative audit pointed out, "UTA is a net polluter." (They were referring to this high priority pollutant, NOx).
Because diesel buses produce so much extra NOx, even the small amounts saved by TRAX and Vanpools is wiped out many times over. Over 92% of the total miles traveled by UTA buses produce more NOx than they save. Only the fullest buses, mostly inter-county commuter buses, average over 17 passengers so that they save rather than pollute.
(BTW, those best-pollution-preventing buses are going away because of Front Runner. UTA's small percantage of non polluting buses will shrink almost out of sight.)
The net result is that UTA produces over 185 tons a year more NOx than it saves.
Enter commuter rail...
Each Frontrunner extension will add, net, over 200 tons of NOx to our air. The present 185 ton excess by UTA will swell to over 600 excess tons of NOx pollution a year afterr bosth FrontRunners extensions are in operation.
Rather than being a part of the solution, UTA is part of the problem.
(UTA violated the provisions of NEPA by refusing to disclose these 200+ ton jumps in NOx in its Environmental Impact Statements for Frontrunner.)
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