Gov. Herbert calls for General strike in support of cleaner air
Utah’s dirty little secret is out. We have the worst air quality in the United States, and it has made national news three days in a row through different news sources. While doctors are calling the problem a public health issue, Governor Herbert office insists that "this is as much an issue of personal responsibility as it is a matter of public policy."
It sounds like the Herbert is calling for a general strike because according to Herbert, the best way to cut out pollution is to stop driving. Unless you can take Trax or some other form of public transportation, you should just stay home on red days. Tailpipes contribute 50 percent of the pollution.
Driving may not be an option for people who need to work every day to make ends meet, but imagine the effect it would have if everyone stopped driving for the duration of one inversion. Not only would the pollution from vehicles not be emitted into the air, all of the pollution from the places that employ people who drive to work wouldn’t be made. Commerce would come to a halt, and Utah’s economy would suffer.
When we have billboards warning travelers on the freeway of the poor air quality and our nickname becomes Smog Lake City, we have a problem that stems far beyond a public health crisis. We have a public relations crisis and that should worry government and businesses alike.
Instead, Herbert continues to push the production of fossil fuels and allows the development of tar sands while attempting to use the naiveté of the American belief in personal responsibility to assuage and to blame people who have little real power in changing their current transportation usage.
This article was originally published at examiner.com.
It sounds like the Herbert is calling for a general strike because according to Herbert, the best way to cut out pollution is to stop driving. Unless you can take Trax or some other form of public transportation, you should just stay home on red days. Tailpipes contribute 50 percent of the pollution.
Driving may not be an option for people who need to work every day to make ends meet, but imagine the effect it would have if everyone stopped driving for the duration of one inversion. Not only would the pollution from vehicles not be emitted into the air, all of the pollution from the places that employ people who drive to work wouldn’t be made. Commerce would come to a halt, and Utah’s economy would suffer.
When we have billboards warning travelers on the freeway of the poor air quality and our nickname becomes Smog Lake City, we have a problem that stems far beyond a public health crisis. We have a public relations crisis and that should worry government and businesses alike.
Instead, Herbert continues to push the production of fossil fuels and allows the development of tar sands while attempting to use the naiveté of the American belief in personal responsibility to assuage and to blame people who have little real power in changing their current transportation usage.
This article was originally published at examiner.com.