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Editorials - 07/20/00

Support cleaner air
From haze over our mountains to the fumes we breathe during heavy traffic, air pollution threatens our health, our crops and our natural landscapes in Jackson County and throughout Western North Carolina.

During the past two summers, air was unhealthy to breathe somewhere in our state one out of every three days.

Cleaning up our power plants and automobile emissions is the only way to clean up our air.

The air across our state is increasingly unhealthy for us to breathe - we've already had June warnings about unsafe ozone levels in our own nearby Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Last year North Carolina had the third-highest number of days in the nation when ozone pollution exceeded health standards.

Ozone, the main ingredient of smog, is formed by the reaction of nitrogen oxide and other emissions with sunlight.

Power plants and automobiles are our two biggest air polluters. Our legislators passed a law last year aimed at reducing automobile pollution, but our state's coal-fired power plants are some of the dirtiest in the country. Not one of North Carolina's 14 coal-fired power plants is required to meet modern emission standards.

Cleaning up these coal-fired plants is the simplest and most cost-effective way to reduce the state's air pollution and protect public health.

What can we do?

For starters, we can attend the regional public hearing next Thursday, July 27, in Franklin. It begins at 2 p.m. at the Jaycees Building in Franklin Memorial Park on West Main Street. If clean air is an issue that matters to us, we all need to let the N.C. Environmental Management Commission know how we feel.

Clean air supporters have organized a pre-hearing rally at Franklin Memorial Park that will begin at 1 p.m. and include great music by members of popular local band Smoky Mountain Drum 'n Bass and ice cream for everyone.

We must insist that coal-fired power plants meet modern emission standards.

Technology is available to make these reductions. We must convince environmental officials to insist upon them.

Editorial policy

The opinions expressed on this page are those of the Sylva Herald Editorial Committee. Opinions are derived independently and owe no allegiance to any group, organization or political party. We welcome opposing views.

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