H.C.R. 7

             1     

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION TO SUPPORT PLANS TO

             2     
REDUCE AIR POLLUTION IN UTAH

             3     
2014 GENERAL SESSION

             4     
STATE OF UTAH

             5     
Chief Sponsor: Joel K. Briscoe

             6     
Senate Sponsor: Gene Davis

             7     
             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
             30     
             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.





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    as of 2-10-14 3:07 PM


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