Air Quality/Inversions (Salt Lake City: buses, train, farm)

[movingonagain777]

Utah Air Quality Board Passes Insufficient Plan to Meet EPA Standards by 2019 | HEAL Utah


http://environews.tv/utah-air-qualit...dards-by-2019/

[movingonagain777]

Tesoro to pay $1.1 million for violation of clean-air rules | The Salt Lake Tribune

This refinery attributes to the Valley's air quality.

[CCSLC]

Originally Posted by movingonagain777

This pollution is obviously not from automobiles:

Yep, and it's only 11% of the problem. Where are your photos documenting the 89% of the problem?

[EastreturnsWest]

As a former resident of Salt Lake City (left in 2003) I am glued to this thread like a bad reality show. I get excited when I see a new post from movingonagain and can't wait to see how Zionide is going to reply.

I remember back around 2002 when the Olympics were coming, there was a lot of talk about the inversion and how the world would view SLC's dirty air. Short of placing a huge exhaust fan at 'point of the mountain' everyone just kind of held their breath and hoped the air would stay clear. It didn't. I recall mogul skier Jonny Moseley appearing on Letterman around the time of the Olympics and Dave said, "Utah is beautiful isn't it?" And Jonny replied bluntly, "no, they have a serious pollution problem". I'm paraphrasing so don't quote me.

All the attention now is a good thing, don't you think? Whether you blame the big corps. or people in their cars, at least people are talking action, which is more than I can say was happening 10 years ago.

I used to commute to Provo from Salt Lake daily. 50 miles one way. I never thought about curbing my driving habits back then. I think if I still lived there I'd be more likely to search for alternative transportation options, but that's easier said not having to face the situation directly. I assume many drivers have the same dilemma. To have the convenience of his/her own car vs. the nightmare that can be public transportation or carpooling.

I hope residents, politicians, and business leaders can figure it out. It truly is one of the most spectacular places on the planet...on a clear day!

[kletter1mann]

Originally Posted by movingonagain777

This pollution is obviously not from automobiles:

This picture is just plain counterproductive and stupid. Where was this taken? What are those stacks? Is it even in SLC valley? BTW, did you know that those huge plumes of white smoke, aka "pollution," coming out of power plant stacks are almost completely water vapor? I bet not. In fact, you really don't even know that it's pollution at all - it's just a white cloud over some stacks. Just posting a picture of white vapor proves nothing except that you don't know what you're talking about.

All your hysteria about the industrial sources is misplaced and lazy. It avoids the issue of people changing their lifestyles and driving less. Why don't you advocate odd-even driving days?

[movingonagain777]

Here is the information from Erin Brokovich regarding the Stericycle Pollution:

Stericycle Pollution | Erin Brockovich

[movingonagain777]

Tesoro has violated air quality and has had to pay fines for not maintaining safe emissions. Your point is moot Kletterman. Industry is a contributing factor as well.

Tesoro fined $1.1 million by EPA

[kletter1mann]

Originally Posted by movingonagain777

Tesoro has violated air quality and has had to pay fines for not maintaining safe emissions. Your point is moot Kletterman. Industry is a contributing factor as well.

Tesoro fined $1.1 million by EPA

It is absolutely not moot. Of course industry contributes. And industry is certainly an easy target for ideologues such as yourself. You could shut down every single industrial source and it still wouldn't solve the problem. You'd just make it take 3 days to get to the same point that took 2 days to get to before.

The 800 pound gorilla is automotive emissions. Anybody that has seriously looked at the inversion issue knows full well that tailpipe emissions are the primary contributor. Unfortunately that's not sensational, it's not a fashionable target for the Erin Brokovitch's of this world and it doesn't wind anybody up. Most of all, pointing at industry doesn't force anybody to look in the mirror and have the courage to change their own habits and lifestyle.

This thread is mistitled. It should be renamed "Force Wasatch Front industries to clean up their act." Any serious attempt to deal with inversions would start with the car problem and associated culture of unwillingness to regulate, investment in mass transit, limiting suburban sprawl (at which the SL region excels), and changing the culture of selfish individualism at the expense of the common good.

If Utah were Switzerland there would be a light rail line parallel to every interstate. It would extend to Park City and Heber. It would also run up BCC and LCC under tunnels and avalanche sheds. There would be much, much denser housing density. There would be convenient mass transit and people would be ashamed to be driving, especially one-in-a-car. Oh, that's too hard? Too expensive? Or it doesn't suit my personal lifestyle? Then **** about the inversions, cause collectively that's the alternative that has been chosen.

Here's my challenge to you, movingonagain: start another thread on that theme. You'd be doing a lot more good, if doing good is really what you're after.

[movingonagain777]

I think everyone knows that automobiles are an issue and that there needs to be an alternative to so many cars on the road. Stricter emissions and electric forms of transportation would be great and it's evident that a large portion of the majority favor the change. At the same time industries should have to follow EPA regulations and clean up their act as well. Not just pay the fines.....protect the environment.

This is my thread and it's my free right to post what I think is relevant. I want the information to be publicly available to those who are thinking about relocating to the SLC area. I wish there would have been more information available when I was doing the same. There was not a lot of information to let the public know what a problem the area has with air quality. On other threads that I am active on there is a large number of people who are having major health problems right now due to the horrible air quality. Salt Lake City isn't really a conducive environment for those that already have health issues. It can help a lot of folks who search this site looking for this type of information. A geographical move is expensive and most can't afford to just try it out.

It's all about what I and many others have experienced in relation to the air quality and quality of life.

[CCSLC]

Even though it's your right, you're doing a disservice to those looking for information by having absolutely no objectivity.

If you really wanted to merely inform, you'd avoid propaganda and sources that have been proven time and again to be factually inaccurate.

As it stands, intelligent people recognize your posts as merely the opposite end of the spectrum from a big-industry corporate PR shill: mildly entertaining in their ignorance of fact, but useless as far as valid information. There's a reason you've posted over 350 times but have a reputation of barely 100.

Clearly you're more interested in quantity than quality.