Here and Now - Air Quality

As a former federal employee assigned to a D.C. regional office, my suburban Maryland and Northern Virginia colleagues often utilized federal "satellite" offices strategically placed in and around major cities and towns. This strategy effectively alleviated traffic congestion which goes hand-in-hand with air quality issues. Since most valley state government workers commute to either Phoenix, Tempe or Scottsdale, has the legislature or the Department of Administration considered implementing a similar measure? If not, why not?

When I was living in Los Angeles, the air quality although bad was better along the coastal cities. In the Phoenix area, what areas are better off then others and what areas have poorer air quality?

I read last week in the Republic that when Maricopa County Environmental Dept. had an open meeting in dealing with the pollution problem that the Homebuilders Association was able to beat back stricter conditions of which they would have been required to meet in doing there part in cutting pollution. The county environmental study, I believe, showed that 40% of particulates were being created from construction and related industry. While the homebuilders apparently countered the counties study numbers with there own numbers showing a much lesser impact from construction. Because of this, the stricter conditions will not be applied to this industry. If the valley and state leadership continues there cow towing to the construction industry, pollution will always be a problem.

Why don't we increase fuel taxes to encourage people to conserve by driving and polluting less? It would provide a source of funding for needed roads and help reduce global warming. Why are gas prices such a touchy subject when the tax could be offset by reduction in general sales or income taxes?

It seems to me that traffic signals can be better managed to get us off the roads a little quicker. Every time we wait at a poorly timed light we're burning more fuel and creating more emissions

According to the Arizona Game and Fish Department there are almost 400,000 off-highway vehicles in Arizona.

From what I've seen, many open desert areas around Phoenix get constant use by ATV's.

It looks like this kind use is implicitly encouraged. Gates and fences that are supposed to prevent trespassing on State Trust Land are typically left open and in disrepair.

What impact do ATV's have on air quality, and what is being done to regulate their use in open desert areas?

The easiest way to encourage conservation among homeowners is to provide real time feedback about energy usage. This means SRP and APS need to make an easily read, interior power meter available to their customers. I urge everyone to request such a device from their utility, which already exist in various forms. Google "powercost monitor" to see one example. Waiting for a monthly bill, or writing down numbers from an outside meter is an archaic way to monitor energy use, and this simple device would have an overnight impact once people actually see the monetary impact of their energy decisions.

Where does the pollution from L. A. go in Arizona? Is Flagstaff and Sedona any better? What web site would you go to to check out air quality so we can make a comparison. It's time to get to a cleaner environment. Thanks

If the City of Phoenix and Maricopa County are so concerned about air quality. Then why did they allow a waste transfer station to move into a building at 5th street and Pima in downtown Phoenix. The truck traffic in and out of the place is constant and if that isn't bad enough, the dust and the SMELL from the garbage is enough to make anyone sick to their stomach. I have to work next to this place and it makes all of us sick to smell it and I feel bad for the people that live across the street from it. The air is so thick you can taste it.

As a state government employee I have options for carpooling and mass transit. My problem is that as someone with severe asthma, when I do take the bus I have to walk through the deisel and auto exhaust to get from the bus to the office which puts me at risk for a serious asthma attack.
We need to stop accomodating the use of automobiles with ever wider freeways.

What is it going to take to get gov and utilities to offer incentives - solar for example
Ira Fulton funds ASU but does not build solar into the homes he builds
Why not have utilities sponsor - it is much cheaper than building new sources of energy

What will it take

The US dept of energy has been publishing a pie chart since at least 1987 (when I went to architecture school in Washington DC where it was required knowledge) describing contributors towards energy consumption AND air pollution generally in the USA as follows: industry -slightly less than a quarter, transportation about a quarter, and a whopping shard less than a half a pie is attributed to BUILDING. Google Mazria's 2010 Imperative. Same DOE pie chart, plus prioritized strategies, timeline,benchmarks, etc. PS Any architectural licence, and stamp, is conferred and required for building by the individual states to protect the welfare of the state. Architects and planners do know better, but application of this knowledge needs reinforcement. Janet Napolitano- please - you confer the title of architect. Make it count. The knowledge to cut half of all building power usage is there, it's just not always quick, glitzy or applicable as an afterthought - as much as those who want to make energy efficiency a hi-tech marketable specialty would have it. More power to 'em,whatever works, if thats what it takes to get some application- but this knowledge can and should be a norm, and is cheapest and most effective at the beginning stages of any building design and planning, at both the macro and micro scale. Energy efficient building design is as much an issue of health and safety to the public as any that would require professional registration. Right now, too much cheap labor of interns working towards their registration (essentially a gift to architects by the state)- is going towards churning out bad sprawl development or clueless airconditioned hot dog cookers that hurt everyone.

When you see parents taking their children to the asthma doctor in gas guzzling SUV's, it is obvious that their not recognizing how they are contritubing to their child's health problems.

If that fundamental concept isn't grasped what hope do we have for people getting on board any volunteer program?

We spent the holidays with our family in Oregon. One of the Home Depots was built on a full landfill. We found out the use the methane gas to heat and cool their building.