OUR VIEW: USU is first to be environ-friendly

The university always seems to be one step ahead of the game when it comes to its environmentally-friendly policy.

Utah State University began voluntary testing of its vehicle emissions, leaving one to wonder why there is no talk of a similar action for the rest of the vehicles in Cache Valley.

When air pollutants were at dangerous levels in the valley during the winter, health officials were heard saying the Envronmental Protection Agency may mandate vehicle emissions testing if the problem continues.

Community leaders were quick to advocate carpooling or taking the bus for a few weeks, but no doubt everyone has now gone back to driving their exhaust-spewing cars without a second thought. But the problem hasn’t and won’t go away, not until Cache Valley ceases to be a valley.

Why can’t the community start voluntarily testing for car emissions now? Why do we have to wait until the EPA forces it on us? Car owners already have to have their vehicles inspected before renewing registration. It would be the perfect time to check emissions as well.

It’s time we started taking responsibility for our environment without getting heckled into it. There’s no reason to wait until the next inversion to start getting concerned about the air quality in Cache Valley. USU’s Motor Pool will offer free emissions testing in April and students should take advantage of that.

Kudos to the university for doing its chores without having to be nagged.