That could change, though, under several proposals now under consideration. A task force made up of industry, government and interest groups sees drivers as a possible part of the solution for a fast-growing funding shortfall.
State air officials expect to ask for about $3.2 million more to cover their added expenses through next year. Still, they expect a shortage this year of $240,000, and next year a gap of $2.7 million, as the state tries to deal with tough new federal pollution regulations that are coming on line.
For about $1.96 - the cost of a Big Mac or loaf of bread - drivers could cover those increased costs and start paying at least a share of the state's tab for monitoring the air and developing pollution controls. Drivers might see it as an increase in their annual vehicle registration fees, or possibly as a slight increase in the state's gas tax.
"Whether we realize it or not, we're all emitters," said Ernie Wessman, a task force member and representative of the energy industry.
Several task force members voiced support for the approach.
State Sen. Fred Fife, D-Salt Lake City, noted that it makes sense to ask drivers to share the burden. Their cars and trucks contribute to ground-level ozone in the summer and fine-particle pollution in the winter - both known to boost asthma, heart trouble, lung problems and other health maladies.
"It's for the health and the well-being of the public," he said.
Kathy Van Dame, a member of the state Air Quality Board and the Wasatch Clean Air Coalition, agreed.
"There's a lot of individual choices we make that impact everyone," she said.
Currently, fees from industry cover 44 percent of air-pollution control costs, while the state taxpayer funds and federal grants account for the remainder.
The idea of an annual fee is based on the tax the state applies to big companies for pollution. Other ideas, including new fees on small industry and increases in state charges for reviewing pollution permits for power-generating facilities, also are being considered.
At least some of the people who might be asked to pay the pollution program increases have no problem with the idea.
Pat Washburn, a Holladay resident, said pollution has long been a big issue for the state, and she would welcome smart efforts to do more to control it. If combustion engines, like those that power cars and trucks, are such a big part of the problem, they ought to be part of the solution, she said.
"I don't think that would be bad," she said, noting that wintertime pollution is awful. "That's serious stuff, and we're not doing as much as we should."
Cottonwood High School sophomore Erik Keyes, also of Holladay, sees $2 a year as a "reasonable" price to pay. "I don't think it would be a big problem," said Keyes, who enjoys outdoor sports.
fahys@sltrib.com
A task force is looking at mix-and-match options for increasing money for state air-pollution efforts. Recommendations will go to the state Legislature, which sets the budget for all state programs. Here are some of the proposals under review:
* A light-duty vehicle travels about 12,000 miles a year.
* It pumps out about 84 pounds of pollution.
* Charged the same $46.44 per ton regulation fee the state assesses on industrial polluters, that would be $1.96 per year.
* Applied to 2 million cars statewide, it would generate $3.9 million. If assessed on 1.4 million vehicles on the Wasatch Front, the revenue would be $2.8 million.
* This does not include a higher fee for heavy-duty trucks, which generate more pollution.
* Based on 12,000 miles driven yearly and 20 mpg fuel consumption.
* If drivers paid an extra penny for every 10 gallons, the tax would average about 60 cents a year and would generate $1.7 million.
* If drivers paid an extra 2 cents on every 10 gallons, the tax would average about $1.20 annually per driver and generate nearly $3.5 million.
* If drivers paid 3 cents more on each 10 gallons, the tax would be $1.80 more per gallon and add $5.2 million in state funds.
* Nearly $1.8 million would be generated by a new emission fee charged to industrial facilities responsible for about 30 tons of air pollutants a year.
* A flat annual fee of between $800 and $4,000 could be assessed on "small industry" to raise $1.5 million.
* Fees for so-called "New Source Review" permits, a kind of air-pollution construction permit, could be raised so the state's true cost of performing the highly technical evaluations is fully covered by companies that apply for them.
