Air Quality in the Southland

Now that AQMD has been strengthened and has an executive officer with enough drive to bring the L.A. air basin to within health based standards, there are no legitimate excuses for procrastination. It’s time to buckle down and demand tougher control measures on all sources of emissions in an equitable manner.

There is no question that immediate research into alternative fuels and ride sharing incentives are part of a crucial and attainable first step that must be taken in order for the L.A. basin to come into compliance with the Clean Air Act. The question instead is how long it will be acceptable for polluters to drag their feet in implementing available technology that can begin to alleviate the smog crisis in our basin.

The diamond lane controversy is a microcosm of the core issue which is that we each have a personal responsibility to take steps to reduce smog. It is not easy for us to change our daily habits, but we must offer the public positive incentives in order to accommodate our ever-expanding city as well as protect our environment. Nor is it easy for industry to re-prioritize and embrace maximum pollution control as an absolute necessity. There is simply no other choice. It is true that the AQMD must tread a careful step in the implementation of the Clean Air Act, but it must also remain firm and assertive lest we fall back into the familiar mode of unregulated industry and our one-person, one-car mentality.

As Los Angeles business leaders balk at the notion of tighter pollution controls, organizations like the Coalition for Clean Air receive phone calls hourly from members of the community expressing anxiety about the further degradation of Los Angeles’ air quality. Finally we have the key ingredients to make clean air a reality: community willingness to be educated coupled with the strong leadership and persistence of AQMD executive officer James M. Lents.

ELIZABETH STEVENSON

ALLYSON SMITH

Coalition for Clean Air

Santa Monica