When we moved our family back to my husband’s native Utah, we looked forward to Utah’s famous family-friendly atmosphere. Unfortunately, in the past few years, we have come to the sad realization that family-friendly is really nothing more than smog and mirrors. Here it is only mid-November, and at my children’s school students with asthma are already being kept indoors at recess because of our infamous smog. While the city boasts beautiful parks, excellent trails and plenty of sun, what really should be a family’s paradise, children are kept from playing tag at recess because some of our lawmakers seem to believe that pandering to industrial concerns should come before the needs of our kids. Children forced to stay indoors at recess? That’s paradise lost. If you doubt the culpability of our lawmakers, simply read Utah Code 19-2-106. Written by industry in the 1980s, this malicious piece of legislation ties the hands of our Division of Air Quality to make any emissions rules stricter than corresponding federal rules, unless the division can prove that the federal rules are inadequate to protect public health. How do we prove that something is inadequate to protect our health? Well, we get sick or we die. We become statistics in an involuntary epidemiologic study to prove the inadequacy. The burden of proof rests firmly on our families. Industry has cleverly convinced the Legislature to tie our own hands, to limit our own authority. Think maybe we should consider monitoring industry stacks continuously so we know what’s coming out and when there’s a problem? Can’t do it. Think maybe we ought to be able to implement some stricter emissions rules during our notorious inversion season? Can’t do that, either. In other words, unless we all prove the inadequacy of a specific federal rule by ending up in the hospital, Utah cannot tailor common sense air quality rules to our own unique topography and weather patterns. Industry has seen to it that the federal rules, always meant to be a floor, have become the ceiling in Utah. Its all in the hands of the EPA. Ironic in a Legislature bent on gaining authority over public lands; the feds apparently can manage our air better than we can ourselves. Several courageous lawmakers have sought in the past to change the language of this pernicious law. Most recently such a bill came before the Natural Resources interim committee. The chairman of this committee explained that he just didn’t see any industry buy-in for fixing this law. Indeed, based on lawmakers’ own comments, it appeared that powerful industry string-pullers were texting these lawmakers during the hearing. Apparently the buy-in of industry outweighs the number one concern of the families of Utah, and the health of the kids who can’t enjoy the simple pleasure of playing tag outside at recess. Doing the right thing isn’t cheap or convenient or easy, and it probably won’t always please the industrial operatives, but our families deserve nothing less. While industry doesn’t buy in, the families of Utah will be holding their breaths during this coming legislative session, hoping that our lawmakers do the right thing. Here’s a tip: Parents having to tell children that it is too dangerous to play outside is not family-friendly policy. Help us reclaim this family paradise. Tell your lawmakers that you support greater state autonomy over air quality rules. Let’s let Utah families solve Utah’s problems. Ingrid Griffee is executive director of Utah Moms for Clean Air.
Posted on: Sun, 30 Nov 2014 22:38:52 +0000
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