last thursday Radio West on KUER aired an excellent show on utahs bad air which has ranked worst in the nation as the confluence of geography, weather, and civilization trap pollution in our mountain basins.  Air quality is something that affects everyone of us and pollution levels have been associated with multiple harmful health effects. Further Provo’s air quality is so consistently bad that it has been labeled by the department of environmental quality as a “non attainment area” with pm2.5 levels consistently beyond the federal mandated levels.
These issues of air quality are exacerbated by Utah’s high population density along the Wasatch front, with 80% of the states population living within its vicinity.
yet this fact shows us that with population densities as this, Utah is ripe for transportation options that are inclusive of alternative means such as mass transit and cycling. These options are some of the most viable options to reduce air pollution levels in our city as auto use is one of our largest contributors to air quality in the valley.
so take a listen and dialogue with us and tell us what you think about the air in Utah and what you plan to do about it.
