Raleigh News & Observer
5.1.05
Air we share
Editorial
Air pollution can be a long-distance threat, but it also is a localized problem, typically because of concentrated urban growth and the traffic it brings. Just look at the mud-colored mix that hovers above inland regions such as the Atlanta metroplex, Dallas-Fort Worth or the Philadelphia-South Jersey corridor along the Delaware River. Also "earning" membership in that group is the Triangle region of North Carolina.
It's no coincidence that the federal government has rated the region clustered around the main Triangle counties of Wake, Durham and Orange as a so-called nonattainment area for smog. That's obviously not a welcome distinction. But the Southern Environmental Law Center rightly observes that the federal rebuke offers regional leaders impetus to improve the air we breathe, if those leaders will seize the opportunity.
A new report by the center, which has an office in Chapel Hill, highlights the Triangle's challenges: Demographers predict the region will nearly double in population in 25 years, and development is eating up land at twice the rate of population growth. Triangle-area drivers average 31 miles a day, the 13th highest in the nation. The smog and ozone soup that passes for air on warm North Carolina days contributes to seasonal spikes in lung ailments and increased asthma attacks.
The center sensibly recommends addressing road planning and land-use policies on a regional basis, as well as devoting more money and thought to getting single-passenger cars off the road. That means more mass transit ridership, biking and hiking paths, and efficiency approaches such as improving traffic flows and switching to clean-energy and clean-car technology.
It's true that North Carolina is a national leader in targeting pollution from industrial and power plant smokestacks and vehicle tailpipes. Yet reduced pollution doesn't mean healthy air quality. Emergency room doctors still see a rush of pulmonary cases on bad-air days. Besides, regional and state leaders shouldn't settle for improved air quality when the proper aim ought to be air that is healthy to breathe.
State Attorney General Roy Cooper continues the good fight to reduce pollution migrating here from other states, and air quality should improve in coming years as new state anti-pollution laws have their salutary effect. Congress needs to add its heft to that effort.
The next logical step to promote clean air in the Triangle is to trim the number of vehicle trips and miles per trip in the region and to improve engine efficiency and cleanliness. A bill introduced in the state Senate would help by establishing a statewide low-emissions vehicles program modeled after California's. The bill also requires state agencies to reduce the number of miles state workers drive and increase telecommuting -- working from home. That could have a marked impact in the Triangle, where much of state government activity goes on.
Local governments should think in the same direction. And they need to return to figuring out how to work together on mutual quality-of-life matters such as clean air. This is a problem that no single community can solve.
