Air pollution exaggerated, mayor says
Cache Valley air is polluted, but there isn’t much residents can do about it, said Logan Mayor Doug Thompson.
With an inversion that has been hovering over Cache Valley for two weeks, particulate matter has collected in the air, causing a polluted cloud to form.
“The inversion acts like a lid on the soup cooker,” Thompson said in his State of the City Address Wednesday. With no wind or precipitation, the tiny PM 2.5 and PM 10 particles build up, making the air unhealthy to breathe.
Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency reported that Logan’s air was least healthy air ever recorded in the United States. The EPA later retracted that statement, saying their measurements were off about 30 percent.
“Cache Valley, contrary to public statements, does not have the country’s worst air,” Thompson said. “We know The Weather Channel talked about Logan having the worst air in America.”
Thompson said he heard some people canceled motel reservations in Logan because of the polluted air. He also heard that reports of air quality had affected the recruiting of some athletes to Utah State University.
“Given our mountain valley bowl, the presence of more vehicles and cows, and the current weather conditions, there is little we can do,” the mayor said. “But we have the obligation to do all we can.”
Thompson said there had been positive response from banks and fast food restaurants that the city asked to shut down their drive-through windows. Idling cars are a major contributor to pollution in the valley. The mayor said 80 percent of pollution from vehicles comes from 20 percent of cars.
Cows and the waste products produced from the 75,000 of them living in Cache Valley, also greatly contribute to PM 2.5 levels and cause the air to be as polluted near the Idaho border as in Downtown Logan, Thompson said.
“We’ve asked the cattle to keep their gases to themselves,” Thompson quipped.
A press conference is scheduled for Friday in Salt Lake City, hosted by the Department of Air Quality, Thompson said. The purpose of the meeting is to clear up any misconceptions that have came up as a result of valley pollution levels and what media outlets have reported.
“It’d be nice to have that EPA administrator present to apologize for the damage he’s caused by his hyperbole,” Thompson said. “But that’s not likely.”
Until weather conditions help relieve the inversion, Thompson encouraged valley residents to do as much as they can to prevent contributing to the pollution in the air. Driving as little as possible, carpooling or using public transportation are some ways Thompson said residents could do their part.
“We’re being subjected to an act of God,” Thompson said. “The best thing we can do is pray for divine intervention.”
-str@cc.usu.edu