Experts Give Warnings on Poor Phoenix Air Quality This Winter

[azriverfan.]

Originally Posted by Howard Roark

I keep laughing about this so called pollution problem in Phoenix. Try Los Angeles. You are lucky if five days out of the year you can see Mt. Baldy from the South Bay. The air is much clearer in Phoenix than in LA, or where I grew up, Fresno. Are we Phoenicians that spoiled?

Ritchie's post #131 makes sense to me. The monitoring stations must be smack dab in the middle of the industrial sections. I spend most of the time in Southeast Phoenix near Ahwatukee and pollution is the furthest from my mind.

I live in the same area as you (northwest Chandler) and it's a joke when I hear people complain about air pollution. Live in a city like Newark, Chicago, Boston, Philly, Detroit, New Orleans, Atlanta, Houston etc, the air smells much worse and you can see fumes or notice really poor visibility. Even the L.A. suburbs have that same smell like LA itself.

I don't think Phoenicians are spoiled, it's a city-data thing. I don't hear people complain about air pollution, bugs and heat in the community. I hear people complain about the lack of a downtown/urban presence, culture and a diversified job market but not these other issues that is so prevalent on city-data.

[PhoenixAirConcerns]

Originally Posted by lostsoul62

Casa Grande
Casa Grande AIRNow - Homepage

Well today Phoenix took first place as the most polluted city in America which it is. The PM2.5 is at 160 and so is Tucson. There is no county in AZ besides Phoenix and Tucson which will give you the PM2.5 measurements so there is no place to run to in this state. So I wonder if I should go to Prescott today since my lungs aren't that good. I will move there in February if I last that long with the dirty air here in Phoenix.

Thank you for the information link. It provides a lot of useful information on the Phoenix air problems and the worsening conditions.

One of today's top stories from the Republic is on how the EPA is now taking over Arizona air enforcement, as the state has been unable to do it itself:

Arizona's greenhouse-gas rules to be enforced by the EPA

[Ritchie_az]

Originally Posted by PhoenixAirConcerns

Thank you for the information link. It provides a lot of useful information on the Phoenix air problems and the worsening conditions.

One of today's top stories from the Republic is on how the EPA is now taking over Arizona air enforcement, as the state has been unable to do it itself:

Arizona's greenhouse-gas rules to be enforced by the EPA

An article that was posted earlier in this thread (three or four different times, I believe, and once by you) showed that, as of September '10, Phoenix metro was on track to having one of the "best" years of "air quality" out of the last 25 years. To say the problem is "worsening" is certainly misleading.

As far as the EPA's new "greenhouse-gas" rules and their enforcement of those rules, I believe two things will happen. First, some businesses will receive a fine (tax), which will increase the costs to the consumers. Second, because much of our "air quality" problems have to do with dust, and a) much of the dust is natural (wind, storms, etc) and b) most of the rest comes from agriculture and construction, which farmers and small businesses are exempt from the new rules, there will be no noticable positive effect on our air quality.
So be ready for your electric bills to go up and have nothing to show for it. The rules will also make it more difficult for some certain new businesses to come to Phoenix (if they were considering it). Thanks, Uncle Sam!

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by Ritchie_az

An article that was posted earlier in this thread (three or four different times, I believe, and once by you) showed that, as of September '10, Phoenix metro was on track to having one of the "best" years of "air quality" out of the last 25 years. To say the problem is "worsening" is certainly misleading.

As far as the EPA's new "greenhouse-gas" rules and their enforcement of those rules, I believe two things will happen. First, some businesses will receive a fine (tax), which will increase the costs to the consumers. Second, because much of our "air quality" problems have to do with dust, and a) much of the dust is natural (wind, storms, etc) and b) most of the rest comes from agriculture and construction, which farmers and small businesses are exempt from the new rules, there will be no noticable positive effect on our air quality.
So be ready for your electric bills to go up and have nothing to show for it. The rules will also make it more difficult for some certain new businesses to come to Phoenix (if they were considering it). Thanks, Uncle Sam!

EnicAir misstates/ignores the facts once again. First of all, it has nothing to do with enforcement. It is about licensing. As explained in the article, the county has reached an agreement with EPA regarding licensing of CO2 emitters. So does Pima and Pinal will shortly. The article therefore has nothing to do with Phoenix metro. EPA is taking over the licensing for the rest (rural) areas of the state only. The takeover is described as "friendly".

[Ritchie_az]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

EnicAir misstates/ignores the facts once again. First of all, it has nothing to do with enforcement. It is about licensing. As explained in the article, the county has reached an agreement with EPA regarding licensing of CO2 emitters. So does Pima and Pinal will shortly. The article therefore has nothing to do with Phoenix metro. EPA is taking over the licensing for the rest (rural) areas of the state only. The takeover is described as "friendly".

I skimmed the article and didn't really research further (I'm at work....). This sheds a little more light on it. Thanks.

[EnicAZ]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

EnicAir misstates/ignores the facts once again. First of all, it has nothing to do with enforcement. It is about licensing. As explained in the article, the county has reached an agreement with EPA regarding licensing of CO2 emitters. So does Pima and Pinal will shortly. The article therefore has nothing to do with Phoenix metro. EPA is taking over the licensing for the rest (rural) areas of the state only. The takeover is described as "friendly".

Hi,

This is the first time I read it today. The EPA taking over the Phoenix air quality problems is a long time in the making. First with the removal of funds, now with a complete takeover at the state level. It truly underlines the severity of the environmental issues we face here, and what it is we have to deal with. Moving forward, we must all continue to do whatever we can to reduce this significant issue.

[observer53]

Originally Posted by EnicAZ

Hi,

This is the first time I read it today. The EPA taking over the Phoenix air quality problems is a long time in the making. First with the removal of funds, now with a complete takeover at the state level. It truly underlines the severity of the environmental issues we face here, and what it is we have to deal with. Moving forward, we must all continue to do whatever we can to reduce this significant issue.

There is NOTHING in that article which says that the EPA is "taking over the Phoenix air quality problems" nor are they doing a "complete takeover". Did you not even read Ponderosa's post that you quoted? I'm not sure you even read the article; if you had, you would see that the federal permits don't even APPLY to Maricopa or Pima County.

And, no funds have been removed. You've been called out on that on this thread multiple times. Repeating generalities and inaccuracies over and over again don't make them fact.

Thread closed.