Utahns urged to take 'Clean Air Challenge'

SALT LAKE CITY — From the south steps of the Capitol, Gov. Gary Herbert couldn't see much past 400 South on Friday morning, another hazy, winter day in the Salt Lake Valley.

With increased efforts from Utahns, however, Herbert and other government leaders believe the state's air-quality problems could be a thing of the past.

"I'm a firm believer we can all do more," Herbert said during a press conference for a statewide "Clean Air Challenge." "We're going to throw down the gauntlet and challenge people to do more."

The governor called on Utahns to stop using wood-burning stoves, take fewer trips in their cars and even avoid driving on "red air days."

Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker said improved air quality would translate to an improved local economy. Too often companies and individuals overlook the Wasatch Front because of its air-quality issues, the mayor said.

Becker stressed the need to reduce the number of vehicle miles traveled by walking, biking and taking public transit.

Utah Transit Authority general manager John Inglish said UTA would offer a free day of transit Feb. 12 in hopes of encouraging future ridership.

TRAX and FrontRunner projects that will eventually take riders from Ogden to Provo, the airport to West Valley City and Daybreak are all "under budget and ahead of schedule."

In the Legislature, Rep. Jack Draxler, R-North Logan, is proposing a bill he said would dramatically improve access to compressed natural gas in the state.

Meanwhile, Rep. Carol Spackman Moss, D-Holladay, is carrying a nonbinding resolution discouraging Utahns from letting their vehicles idle.

West Valley City Mayor Mike Winder, Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon and other officials from around the valley lent their support to the challenge Friday.

"No single business, no single municipality, no single individual can markedly improve air quality," Becker said. "It's going to take all of us."

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