H.C.R. 7
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8 LONG TITLE
9 General Description:
10 This concurrent resolution of the Legislature and the Governor recognizes air quality
11 that exceeds established health standards as a significant public health and economic
12 issue in Utah, urges support of Utah State Implementation Plans that address the air
13 pollution problem in Utah, and promotes public awareness of the adverse effects of air
14 pollution on individual health and economic development.
15 Highlighted Provisions:
16 This resolution:
17 . recognizes air pollution as a serious public health and economic issue impacting
18 Utah;
19 . expresses support for the goals, objectives, and rules identified in the Utah State
20 Implementation Plans for PM2.5 adopted by the Utah Air Quality Board;
21 . urges individuals, communities, schools, governments, and businesses to implement
22 policies to reduce emissions of air pollutants;
23 . urges that long-term effort be continued to improve air quality through focused
24 work to understand the causes and to identify effective controls to reduce air
25 pollution; and
26 . expresses support for initiatives that educate Utahns about solutions to Utah's air
27 pollution challenges.
28 Special Clauses:
29 None
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31 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
32 WHEREAS, many Utah residents live in areas that exceed the established standards for
33 levels of air pollution in the ambient air;
34 WHEREAS, fine particles less than 2.5 microns in diameter (PM2.5) are formed,
35 trapped, and concentrated in Utah's valleys that are prone to winter cold-pool temperature
36 inversions;
37 WHEREAS, children, elderly adults, and those with underlying health conditions are
38 impacted to a greater extent by pollutants in the air;
39 WHEREAS, health studies document the impacts of pollutants on Utah's citizens,
40 including adverse health outcomes during and following periods of elevated PM2.5;
41 WHEREAS, economic development is adversely impacted by the perception of poor air
42 quality;
43 WHEREAS, weather conditions are variable from year to year and the established
44 standard for PM2.5 is based on a three-year average of the 98% highest concentration measured
45 in each year, averaged over three years;
46 WHEREAS, portions of seven Utah counties were designated in 2009 as nonattainment
47 for the PM2.5 24-hour standard established in 2006;
48 WHEREAS, the Utah Air Quality Board convened a broad stakeholder group that met
49 over a two-year period to develop and refine air quality chemistry models, daily inventories of
50 emissions, available controls, and compliance strategies that formed the basis for rules to
51 reduce emissions from transportation, area, and point sources;
52 WHEREAS, in 2012, the Air Quality Board adopted a State Implementation Plan (SIP)
53 for the Logan, or Cache Valley, nonattainment area;
54 WHEREAS, in 2013, the Air Quality Board adopted a SIP for the Provo (includes Utah
55 Valley) and Salt Lake (includes Salt Lake, Davis, and portions of Tooele, Weber, and Box
56 Elder counties) nonattainment areas;
57 WHEREAS, each selected control strategy was evaluated to demonstrate that it was the
58 best available in terms of reduction of pollutants of interest, economic feasibility, energy
59 impacts, environmental impacts, and implementation schedule;
60 WHEREAS, through administrative rule, the Air Quality Board identified reasonable
61 controls that, when combined, reduce daily emissions of directly emitted PM2.5 and precursors
62 to the secondary formation of PM2.5 with reductions of daily emissions by over 64 tons per
63 day in the Salt Lake nonattainment area, and 13 tons per day in the Provo nonattainment area,
64 by 2019;
65 WHEREAS, the regulatory requirements for SIP development do not allow credit for
66 controls that are intermittent, episodic, or voluntary; and
67 WHEREAS, additional actions that meet these criteria can add to the benefits of the
68 prescriptive plan and accelerate attainment of the standard:
69 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
70 Governor concurring therein, recognizes air pollution as a serious public health and economic
71 issue impacting Utah.
72 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor express support
73 for the goals, objectives, and rules identified in the Utah State Implementation Plans for PM2.5
74 adopted by the Utah Air Quality Board in 2012 and 2013.
75 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor urge individuals,
76 communities, schools, governments, and businesses to implement policies to reduce emissions
77 of air pollutants.
78 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor urge that
79 long-term effort be continued to improve air quality through focused work to understand the
80 causes and to identify effective controls to reduce air pollution.
81 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor express support
82 for initiatives that educate Utahns about solutions to Utah's air pollution challenges.
83 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the Utah
84 Division of Air Quality, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and the members
85 of Utah's congressional delegation.
Legislative Review Note
as of 2-10-14 3:07 PM