Utah’s population and air pollution
KUER reported this week on two frequent topics of conversion for Utahns – the growing population, and the air pollution crisis. The two are inextricably linked.
“Utah State University projects the state’s population will exceed five million people by 2060, resulting in “more people, more pollution,” KUER writes. This means adding over 1.5 million folks, at a time where air pollution levels are exacerbated by shrinking Great Salt Lake, and other environmental and societal causes.
Currently, about half of our air pollution in the valley is from vehicle emissions. The article quotes the Utah Division of Air Quality’s Air Monitoring manager, Bo Call, who talks about the importance electric vehicles play in keeping pollution levels under control with a growing population.
Emphasizing mass transit improvements, electric vehicles, and rejecting proposals that bring increased vehicle pollution into the state is crucial in our growing years. This is why UPHE is so opposed to the Utah Inland Port. The Inland Port is a plan to transfer California’s truck and train pollution to the heart of the Wasatch Front, and across the entire state. Rather than freight going to its prospective destinations across the country, under the Inland Port’s plan, it will come to Utah first, and be distributed from here, rather than the coastal port it arrives from. At the Port of Los Angeles, locomotive diesel engines operating within the port were responsible for as much pollution as 480,000 cars, (about half the cars registered in Utah) and were found to increase the risk of cancer for nearby residents.
Many of the ideas and proposals that UPHE has a voice in are related to developing the state responsibly. Unfortunately, the state has traditionally ignored all costs of development that don’t have a dollar sign clearly attached. We’ve been encouraged by recent moves to prioritize the public’s interests, like in the state’s handling of the proposal to dredge Utah Lake. Residents need to continue to pressure the state to prioritize livability over profit, and continue to assess the public health and environmental costs of not doing so.
Guiding our Growth has a survey open through February relating to the recent and massive growth of the state. Voice your opinions and help us grow smarter and healthier.
