Facing federal sanctions, Herbert offers solutions to pollution


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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Utah's air pollution problem has regulators stumped, but Gov. Gary Herbert says the solutions are inside everybody's garage.

He paid a visit Thursday to a Salt Lake City house near the Utah Capitol to offer tips on yard equipment, fuel containers and paint choices, while declaring May "Clean Air Month."

His suggestions come a day after the Utah Air Quality Board was sweating over a set of incomplete plans to avoid federal Clean Air Act sanctions.

The regulators said they were 22 tons short of reducing everyday emissions across the Salt Lake-Ogden region by a required 227 tons a day. The policymakers are running out of ideas to satisfy federal standards, and their plans are several months overdue. Now they're promising to deliver them by July.

Facing federal sanctions, Herbert offers solutions to pollution

The governor's aides say getting even 100,000 people to implement his three-step solution could make a big difference.

Utah's Republican governor is known for offering grassroots solutions to government's intractable problems. Time and again, he's urged people to leave cars behind for mass transit, to little effect. Nearly a year ago, Herbert signed an executive order limiting idling to no more than 30 seconds in the state fleet of 7,300 vehicles.

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"We should all contribute to the solution," Herbert said after a March 4 pollution protest at the Capitol.

Weeks later when the Legislature adjourned for the year, Herbert said, "I think it's going to be an ongoing journey. We're not going to solve it all tomorrow. Step by step, we'll find better ways to improve the air quality here."

Utah's air was bad enough last winter to prompt three rallies on Utah's Capitol Hill. Northern Utah had 22 days of toxic air as weather systems trapped murky air close to the ground. More recently, Utah earned "F'' grades from the American Lung Association.

Herbert: To help significantly lower harmful emissions:
Replace pre-2009 fuel storage containers - newer containers release fewer vapors
  • One container = reduces four lbs. of VOCs a year
  • 100,000 containers = reduces 400,000 lbs. of VOCs a year
Use low-VOC and/or water-based paints - helps reduce smog and improves indoor air quality
  • One gallon = reduces 2.46 lbs. of VOCs a year
  • 100,000 gallons = reduces 246,000 lbs. of VOCs a year
Replace yard equipment with low emission options – four cycle gasoline/electric/human-powered equipment
  • One replacement = reduces 3.1 lbs. of VOCs a year
  • 100,000 replacements = reduces 310,000 lbs. of VOCs a year

Tailpipe emissions account for more than half of Utah's pollution problem, but Herbert and regulators have shown no interest in mandating cleaner gasoline or more efficient cars. Officials say they're already wrung emissions reductions from industrial smokestacks.

Now, regulators are targeting aerosol-powered consumer products like hairspray, ordering more environmentally friendly propellants. They have acted to ban the sale of wood-burning boilers for home heating. The board also is imposing new emissions controls on hamburger joints and auto-body shops.

It won't be enough, regulators say. The environmental scientists at work say federal clean-air standards could be nearly impossible to achieve in a state where mountain geography and weather systems can defeat most efforts.

"They've been saying all along it's a tough problem to solve," said Stephen C. Sands, chairman of the air quality board. "It certainly is a challenging standard to meet. The analysis is still underway. It seems like they are on track to come up with some solutions."

(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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