Utah Air Quality According to Forbes Utah air quality was the third most toxic in 2016 just under Nevada and Alaska releasing 273,000,000 pounds of toxic chemicals in the air. The highest concentrations are in Salt Lake County, Bingham Canyon, and Magna. The Utah Department of Environmental Quality inventories state industries each year pertaining to the substances they … [Read more...]
Legislative bill encourages the purchase of electric cars
On Wednesday, the House Revenue and Taxation Committee unanimously (13-0) moved closer to creating a new $2,500 tax credit (HB47), which would encourage the purchase of electric cars. Meanwhile the Senate Transportation Committee approved SB139 (2-1), which would triple the registration fee for those electric cars, as well as hybrid and natural gas vehicles. The SB139 … [Read more...]
Inversion Intervention: Big Utah Polluters Need Big Legislation
Dr. Brian Moench of Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment says, “We should think of the air we breathe along the Wasatch Front as if we are passengers on an airplane. The mountains block circulation and the pollution doesn’t escape and we are stuck in an inversion.” A few years ago, people were allowed to smoke on planes in a closed environment forcing everyone on the pla … [Read more...]
Superfoods: Are They Really the Answer?
It’s that time of year again, when the gunky air makes us feel crappy. But I’ve found something that’s making me feel better. It’s not an air-transplant, but something I can control, and maybe you’d like to try it as well. Just a little background. I have a natural tendency for seasonal depression and cyclical weight gain. I run, I bike, I hike, I walk. I rarely sit for longe … [Read more...]
SLC Trimming Tons for 2014
If your New Year’s resolution is to lose some weight, you’re in good company. Salt Lake City has its own weight reduction—or rather, waste reduction—goal for 2014, which is deleting 11,000 tons of recyclable waste from going to the landfill. By 2015, the city’s Zero Waste Resolution aims to increase residential recycling from the current rate of 38 percent to 50 percent. … [Read more...]
Air Pollution in Utah
Why It's Red and Who Produces the Toxic Air We Breathe The nasty brown air you and I are breathing gets a lot of press. Most stories are similarly written or produced: people talk about health issues; UTA crows about public transit benefits; and a Kennecott or oil refinery spokesperson describe their companies’ efforts to clean up facilities. Blah, blah blah. As much as we a … [Read more...]