Our View: Smart driving can, and must, make a difference

OUR VIEW AIR QUALITY

 - Idaho Statesman

Published: 12/05/08


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The Treasure Valley's air might - or might not - violate federal standards.

It all depends on how the feds decide to interpret the numbers.

So let's focus on a few things that cannot be misinterpreted or overemphasized. Driving decisions affect air pollution. Every motorist makes a difference. And the advocates of smart driving and alternate transportation aren't blowing smoke.

Consider this: During the summer, with gas prices topping out above $4 a gallon, vehicle miles in the Treasure Valley dropped by 6 percent, according to Toni Hardesty, chief of the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality. The Valley experienced fewer problems this summer with ozone - a hazy by-product from tailpipe emissions, and the Valley's most troubling midsummer pollutant.

Vehicle emissions aren't the only variable that affects the Valley's summer air quality. Hotter temperatures cook up tailpipe exhausts into ozone, a pollutant that can cause heart and lung disease. Range and forest fires are another factor.

We cannot control the temperature or the severity of the fire season. We can control how much we drive.

Can you consolidate errands? Catch a bus to work, or sign up for a commuter van pool? Walk or ride a bike? Take your pick. They all help.

Coming up with a plan to battle air pollution in the Valley isn't just about revamping an emissions testing program or installing equipment to keep vapors from seeping out of underground gas tanks. It's also about changing driving habits - no matter the price of a gallon of unleaded.

And no matter the outcome of the feds' review of Valley pollution numbers. Depending on how the feds deal with a few decimal points, the Valley has either exceeded the federal government's pollution standards, or is uncomfortably close to a violation. Regardless, as drivers, we can make a difference - and we must. If we focus too much on a few decimals, we're apt to miss the point.

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