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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- A group of local physicians says Utah's air pollution problem has reached crisis levels, and a public health catastrophe looms if something isn't done.
Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment are expected present a plan Monday with steps that could keep the state's air breathable and protect the health of residents.
The group met privately yesterday with Governor Jon Huntsman to discuss its concerns.
The group is raising the alarm after one of the worst winter pollution seasons on record.
The state's Winter Air Quality Alert program set a record this season for the number of bad air quality days. Northern Utah communities from Provo to Logan had severe episodes of harmful fine-particle pollution.
Meanwhile, lawmakers this year decided to maintain the state's current funding for environmental programs, although they doled out large increases to other agencies from a $1.7 (B)billion budget surplus.
Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
