This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
We at Breathe Utah were delighted to read that Mike McKee, the Uinta County commissioner, is as worried about ozone in the Uintah Basin as we are ["EPA should give us leeway to solve our unique ozone issues," Aug. 21]. We agree that cookie-cutter solutions have their limitations, and agree that now is a good time to discuss ways to make meaningful improvements to the area's high ozone pollution.
Commissioner McKee argues that EPA shouldn't make the Uintah Basin into a nonattainment zone, because the wrong people get punished. He hopes for the ability to negotiate a different plan, an Early Action Compact. In the meantime, no one will dispute the validity of the science behind EPA's designation: High ozone is harmful to people, animals, trees and crops. The question is how we as a community do our best work.
Oil and gas operations are the major local contributor to ozone formation. In fact, our northern neighbor Wyoming put well leak controls into effect and has brought its average ozone levels down below 70 ppb for three years running. We can look at the tactics they used to beat the federal standards, and we can give the scientists at the Division of Air Quality and Utah universities the funding to research what would work for us here, along with the budget to monitor and enforce. We can carefully figure out how many of the best technology solutions will employ Utahns, and take advantage of grants, such as UCAIR's Air Assist funding, to implement them.
Perhaps the opportunity to enter an Early Action Compact with the EPA will be created by Sen. Orrin Hatch, perhaps not. While we wait for Washington to let us know, health is too valuable to waste. We here in Utah can put our energy, time and money where it will help the air right now.
Deborah Burney-Sigman
Board Chair, Breathe Utah
Salt Lake City