The Story
We take some limited personal or collective action to achieve cleaner air. In addition to implementing the new 2014 state and federal regulations that reduce car and other emissions, Utahns take sufficient additional actions to just meet health standards.
Driving per person decreases 10%, and 95% of Utah’s cars are low-emission because Utahns buy cleaner cars over time. Included within the 95% cleaner cars are 10% of Utah’s cars that are electric or zero-emission, having been voluntarily purchased by Utahns. All of our refineries produce cleaner fuel to put in our cars.
25% of older homes and businesses are renovated to be 30% more energy efficient. New building standards require all new homes and businesses to be 25% more energy efficient than those built today. Even so, the emissions from homes and business grow significantly by 2050 due to the near doubling of the number of buildings.
Summary of Actions Taken
| Vehicles | Homes and Businesses | Industries |
|---|---|---|
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Results
- Emissions reduce by 30%.
- We just meet health standards in 2050.
- Homes and businesses replace vehicles as the primary producers of pollution.
- Average household saves $360 per year.
- Fewer businesses, employees, and tourists hesitate to come to Utah.
Change in Emissions from Today
Source: Utah Division of Air Quality (includes emissions from Utah, Salt Lake, Davis, Weber, Cache, Tooele, and Box Elder Counties)
Background
For most of the year, Utah’s air is clean and meets federal health standards, but for some periods in the summer, and particularly in the winter, regional weather patterns cause poor air conditions along the Wasatch Front. Poor winter air quality is a result of particulate matter (PM) that forms in the air from chemical reactions as well as by directly emitted particulates. Today, these emissions mainly come from mobile sources (cars, trucks, etc.), though they are also produced by area sources (space heating, water heating, wood burning, etc.), point sources (industry), and non-road sources (engine-powered devices that operate off roadways, such as construction equipment, airplanes, snow blowers, etc.).
Poor summer air quality is a result of ozone pollution which is produced by many of the same sources as PM.
New federal regulations will result in the gradual phase-in of cleaner cars over decades. These cars, when combined with cleaner fuels, will reduce automobile emissions by 80%. The cleaner cars have smog ratings of 8 or higher, as shown on the window sticker or at fueleconomy.gov. A car with a smog rating of 10 has no tailpipe emissions (e.g., an electric car). These new regulations also require the production of cleaner (lower-sulfur) fuels, but some Utah refineries could take advantage of exemptions and not produce the cleaner fuel.
New 2014 state regulations (the State Implementation Plan) require significantly reduced emissions from a variety of sources, including industry.
Though cars will get cleaner, the number of Utah homes and businesses will nearly double by 2050. These area sources will become the dominant source of air pollutants, growing until they dwarf vehicle emissions. Improving the energy efficiency and lowering the emissions of both old and new buildings (either voluntarily or through new air quality, energy, or construction standards) is crucial if Utah is to meet health standards over the long term.
