Air Quality is important for a Healthy Economy

Some days, the Northern Utah air is so thick with haze that it’s impossible to see the mountains. From the benches, the downtown skyline is obscured in layers of smog. It’s unhealthy. It’s unsightly. And it’s a huge liability for economic development efforts in the state. For the Salt Lake Chamber, poor air quality presents as much an economic development threat as a health threat. “It’s not the tree-hugger thing that you might be picturing,” says Marty Carpenter, a spokesperson for the Salt Lake Chamber. “It’s important to our economic development that we maintain and improve our air quality. It’s important for job creation, for business growth, and it impacts every business in the state.”

One of the biggest threats is the possibility of additional federal regulation. Northern Utah’s seasonal pollution spikes have already drawn the attention of the EPA. Areas including Utah, Davis and Salt Lake counties, and portions of Tooele, Box Elder, Weber and Cache counties.

While the state is working to formulate a plan to deal with its air quality, “The EPA has two hammers that are waiting to fall,” says Bryce Bird, Director of the Utah Division of Air Quality. One is automatic sanctions that would reduce or eliminate federal highway funding for capacity-expanding projects. The other is an EPA-imposed plan to bring the area into compliance—in other words, additional regulatory oversight and burdens.

Both of these possibilities concern the Salt Lake Chamber.

“Highway funding has been such a vital component to our economic development effort over the last seven or eight years,” notes Carpenter. Projects like the Mountain View Corridor and the extension of the Legacy Highway are vital for the surrounding communities. Plus, these projects provide much-needed construction jobs.

Utah’s air quality presents another economic development concern—a reduced ability to recruit businesses to Utah. “The EDCUtah really gets nervous about bringing people to Utah in January and February for fear there will be poor air quality issues,” says Carpenter. “If they see a valley filled with haze and pollution, it’s not as attractive to them.”

Other economic costs of poor air quality include reduced worker productivity and increased healthcare costs as a result of illnesses caused and exacerbated by the pollution. Utah Business