Salt Lake County will create a panel on air pollution

On Thursday, the Salt Lake County Council of Governments voted to create a new subcommittee that will identify the sources of the air-quality problem and devise a plan to fix it.

The state's air quality was so bad this winter that residents had to breathe unhealthy air and were asked to limit their driving and wood burning for an all-time high of 28 days, according to the Utah Department of Environmental Quality.

"We had a call to action from our constituents," said Salt Lake County Councilwoman Jenny Wilson, who proposed the idea of starting the subcommittee. "This is a huge problem. It impacts health, quality of life and the ability to bring in new companies. As a mother, I'm concerned."

The move came just days after a group of doctors warned Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. that a public-health catastrophe could soon be on his hands if something isn't done about the state's air pollution.

Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment met with the governor last Friday to detail a plan to curtail the air pollution problem, which they believe has reached crisis levels. They proposed a ban on new coal-fired power plants because of mercury the plants release. The doctors also called for improving mass transit to decrease vehicles on the road, requiring freeway drivers to slow to 55 miles per hour on smoggy days, and asking school-bus drivers not to idle in schoolyards while waiting for students.

The new subcommittee will look at these options and more, said Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon, who volunteered to serve on the committee. Corroon said county leaders can promote renewable energies, such as solar power, and find a way to restrict vehicle emissions. He said zoning ordinances can also be used to keep more cars off the road.

"This last winter especially was the worst winter I've ever seen," Corroon said. "The skies were darker and more yellow than I've ever seen."

Utah and Weber counties saw a record number of "red" or poor air-quality days during the annual Winter Air Quality Alert program, which started in 1992 and runs from Nov. 1 to March 1 every year, according to a report released in March by the Utah Department of Environmental Quality.

In January, Utah experienced a near record-setting 18 consecutive days of poor air quality, with temperatures below freezing, a condition that can — and did — create an inversion. When cold, dense air in a valley is trapped by high pressure and warmer air above, the resulting inversion puts a "lid" on air movement, trapping pollutants that can be harmful to humans.

"It certainly makes you think twice when the air they breathe is affecting the quality of their lives," Corroon said.

E-mail: ldethman@desnews.com

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