Utah Air Quality Policy

What is the most sensible solution or set of solutions for Utah’s air quality problems?

Utah’s air quality undoubtedly has a problem. Anybody who lives here or who has spent a lot of time here can attest to that. Governor Gary Herbert stated on the issue, “It is a challenge we all share.”[1]

What is the reason for this problem? Part of the blame can definitely go to tailpipes, or cars. The Utah Department of Environmental Quality reported that fifty-five percent of pollution in Utah comes from cars and trucks.[2] Fifty-five percent is a lot; more than half of the pollution. However, people aren’t making an effort to fix or reduce the pollution that comes from tailpipes. We can definitely carpool more. Anybody who pays attention when they drive on Interstate 15 can see that the vast majority of vehicles are taken up by only one driver each. Even carpooling with just one person makes a difference. Two vehicles traveling from Ogden to Salt Lake and back will emit two times the pollution that one vehicle would. The people of Utah can do more, but part of the blame also needs to go to the government. The government of Utah is working to push and promote the use of UTA. However, look at the UTA system. Right now, it is very expensive and inefficient to use UTA trains and buses. If it was cheaper and easier, then more people would use it. If the government wants to promote UTA, they need to make it cheaper and easier to use. Only then will people start to use it.

Why is this problem even significant? Why does our air quality matter? In his 2^nd Treatise on Government, John Locke wrote, “All mankind…being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty or possessions.” Locke is talking about two of our unalienable rights: the right to health (which has been drastically misinterpreted; just look at Obamacare), and the right to life. If life isn’t important, what is? Our health directly affects the quality of each of our lives, so even if the right to health is irrelevant, it is still a part of our right to life. Governor Herbert was talking about this when he said, “Another growth-related challenge that is fundamental to our quality of life is the quality of our air.” Bad air equals bad health, and bad health equals bad life. One protester stated, “My oldest son Gavin, he has asthma and he didn’t have it until we moved to Utah.” Air quality is important because it affects people’s health and ultimately it affects people’s lives. And once again, I ask: if people’s lives aren’t important, what is?

In order to fix this problem, both the people of Utah and the government of Utah need to work together and do their parts. Utah residents can use other modes of transportation when possible, such as biking and walking. They can carpool more and use UTA more. However, the government needs to make the UTA system cheaper and more efficient. If this can be done, then the quality of people’s health and lives will increase. As Governor Herbert stated on our air quality problem, “…we all share in the responsibility to fix it.”

[1] “Utah Governor Gary Herbert’s 2014 State of the State Speech.” Governing.com. January 29, 2014. <http://www.governing.com/topics/politics/gov-utah-gary-herbert-annual-speech.html>

[2] Utah Department of Environmental Quality. August 2012.