COLUMN: Many to blame for bad air

Andy Pierucci, columnist

Cache Valley has serious air quality problems; anyone who has spent an entire year here and experienced the inversion can attest to that. Cache Valley is an absolutely beautiful place to live. I am grateful to be able to attend college in such a charming community. Air pollution puts a damper on the beauty of our valley and can be potentially harmful for the residents, but government regulation must be considered carefully before implemented. Many good intentions lead to unforeseen consequences.

Who is to blame for the awful pollution that plagues our beautiful valley? Some say the farmers and their old equipment are to blame. Others argue it’s a combination of the high volume of traffic and the lack of vehicle emissions restrictions, yet others claim Mother Nature and geography, not man, are to blame for the poor air quality. In reality, all of these opinions are correct.

Any effort to curb the rising air pollution in the valley will be only minimally successful due to Cache Valley’s unique geography and weather systems. The bottom of the valley is 4,500 feet above sea level and is almost completely surrounded by massive mountains rising over 9,000 feet above sea level. These mountains form a bowl around the valley and serve as a natural barrier, keeping pollution right on top of us. The mountains are especially troublesome during the winter months. Below-freezing temperatures, frozen, snow-covered ground and stagnant high-pressure systems result in dense fog formation and a strong temperature inversion over the valley.

Being from California, where the government over-regulates the populace, I was surprised upon my arrival at USU to find Cache County does not require vehicle emissions testing. Older models of many vehicles pump out vast quantities of exhaust into the air, decreasing the quality of air. County officials are currently considering legislation that would create standards for vehicle emissions require vehicle testing for all county residents.

Cache Valley is a thoroughfare for many people. A significant number of those who regularly travel through the valley are not residents of Cache County. USU students and residents of Franklin County, Idaho frequently drive in the valley. Many of the drivers come from communities that do not require vehicle emissions testing. I’m not sure if the benefits of government-regulated emissions standards will outweigh the costs, nor am I positive it will make a significant impact.

Unlike vehicle emissions standards and testing, which may prove to be beneficial, I believe regulating farmers and farming equipment would cause more harm than good. Our farms play a vital role in this valley’s economy. Regulating farmers in an effort to reduce air pollution would place unnecessary economic burdens upon our valley’s farmers and their families.

Logan city, USU, and other organizations in the valley have taken proactive measures to reduce the air pollution. The Logan Rapid Transit Bus system, Aggie Shuttle and CVTD are all free. City, county and USU officials hope residents will decide to ditch their cars and utilize these free services more often. Riding the buses reduces traffic and congestion. The city also converted the municipal power plant from diesel to natural gas. USU replaced its coal-fired heating plant with a modern natural gas plant.

As I said before, every good intention has unforeseen consequences. Cache Valley is beautiful, the community inviting and gracious, but the air quality is awful. As a community we need to be more conscious of air pollution as well as the consequences of burdensome regulations to combat the pollution.

– Andrew is a former news writer for The Utah Statesman and a current member of the USU College Republicans. Send any comments to andypierucci@gmail.com.