Polluted Air Comes at a Cost

In an opinion piece in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Aug. 22nd, Patrick Mcllheran, an editorial columnist, suggested that it doesn’t make sense for the EPA to tighten the ozone rules to improve public health. He sticks to the classic argument that cleaning up pollution will be done at the expense of added prosperity. To me, this is a false choice and ignores reasonable solutions that would dramatically improve our air quality and enhance our quality of life.

The most obvious solution would be to raise the corporate average fuel economy of our vehicle fleet (CAFE.) That simply means making cars that go farther on a tank of gas. Currently a House/Senate conference committee is working on combining their respective energy bills into one bill. The Senate voted to raise the CAFE standards to 35 mpg by the year 2020. Let’s make sure the final bill includes this improvement in the standard.

An improved vehicle fleet would dramatically improve our air quality. Taking this step would also not penalize SE Wisconsin, because the standards would apply to the U.S. vehicle fleet. We would benefit from reduced emissions that follow the air currents from Chicago. Our Wisconsin drivers would save an estimated $449 million dollars in 2020 and job growth would create an estimated 3,400 new jobs through local spending according to a study by the Union of Concerned Scientists.

The Mcllheran op-ed was titled: “Cleaner air is better air – but it isn’t free air.” I would argue that polluters continue to view clean air as “free air,” but the reality is that it comes at a great cost to the health and welfare of our families in Wisconsin.

Improve MPG to Address Population Growth

Today is World Population Day. Between the years of 1985 and 2005 as we were raising our young family, the Wisconsin population grew by about 830,000 people. Most of those youngsters will grow up, get their licenses and make their first big purchase of an automobile.

This coming of age generation own more vehicles per family and put more mileage on them. I went through College and Graduate School without a car, but most teenagers in today's generation are lining up to get their license on their 18 birthday!

During that same 20 year period of time the standard for the fuel economy of our vehicle fleet has remained at 27.5 MPG and has not included the growing number of SUVs under the passenger car regulations.

We now have a real opportunity to raise that standard to 35 mpg by 2018 for passenger cars, SUVs and light trucks. The U.S. House will take up an energy bill during the last 3 weeks of July and it's time to include improving the fuel efficiency of our vehicles. Consumers stand to save money, we can reduce emissions of global warming pollutants and asthma inducing smog.

As our population continues to grow, it only makes sense that we pull the technology off the shelf and put it to use. We all stand to breathe easier.