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Posts tagged ‘Utah Clean Air Partnership’

Dec 5

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We've Got the December Bad Air Blues

The view from the SLCgreen office on Dec. 4, 2019.

With a week of air that has been some of the worst in the country, it’s no wonder we’re all feeling frustrated. Salt Lake City’s current air quality is unhealthy for sensitive groups and requires mandatory action of limited driving and no wood burning. For most of us, Salt Lake City’s notoriously bad air is a nuisance and health concern, limiting our activities and turning our skyline grey. Moreover, pollutants like PM 2.5 are dangerous, especially for older residents, children, pregnant women, and people with respiratory and cardiovascular conditions. Air quality is a public health concern, as well as an economic one.

It may come as a surprise that although transportation currently contributes nearly half of the emissions causing Salt Lake City’s bad air, buildings are catching up. Indeed, houses and buildings currently contribute roughly 38% of emissions, and industry point sources produce the other 13%. As emissions standards on cars are becoming more strict, managing emissions from houses and buildings is a growing priority.

PM 2.5 is the primary winter concern in Salt Lake City’s airshed. The particulate matter poses serious health risks and gets trapped in the Salt Lake valley during inversion. Most of the PM 2.5 is a direct result of precursor emissions from tailpipes, smokestacks, and chemicals that mix to form PM 2.5 in the atmosphere.

When you look outside, it may feel like there’s no good news. However, per capita pollution in Utah is decreasing. Salt Lake City is taking steps to help clean the air and protect our public health and environment. Find out how you can keep our airshed (and lungs!) clean and healthy.

What is SLC doing?

Reducing combustion and emissions are a key step towards cleaning the air.

Salt Lake City has many air quality initiatives in place that are helping clean the air. Among these include the continued expansion of EV infrastructure, expanding cleaner vehicles in our fleet, and implementing our energy benchmarking ordinance for nearly 1,000 commercial buildings. Additionally, the HIVE pass provides residents with access to UTA’s public transit system at a reduced cost.

Salt Lake City built the nation’s first Net Zero energy Public Safety Building.
In 2018, Salt Lake City converted five parking enforcement vehicles to all-electric Chevy Bolts. As of Oct. 2019, the Salt Lake City fleet has over 135 hybrids, 32 all-electric vehicles, 72 compressed natural gas heavy duty vehicles, and 117 clean diesel heavy duty vehicles.

Read more

Mar 30

Exchange your old gas can (for free!) on Saturday, April 11

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Exchange your old empty 2.5 or 5 gallon gas can for a free, brand new, environmentally friendly can of equal size!

UCAIR and Chevron are exchanging over 4,500 gas cans. That’s equivalent to eliminating 540 cars off Utah’s roads per day over the 5-year life of each gas can. Making this small change can have large impact on our air quality. Together we can make a difference in Utah’s air quality.

The Gas Can Exchange Program will be the first of its kind in Utah and help our state come into compliance with the EPA standard.

The event will be held on April 11, 2015 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the following locations:

  • 2100 S. 300 W., Salt Lake City, Chevron Station
  • 1997 E. 3500 N., Layton, Davis Landfill
  • 1855 Skyline Dr., South Ogden, Chevron Station
  • 1200 Towne Center Blvd., Provo Towne Center Mall

Why exchange your old can? Old gas cans contribute to volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions by:

  • Permeation of vapors through walls of containers.
  • Escaping fumes while fuel is being dispensed.
  • Spillage and over filling as fuel is being poured into equipment.
  • Spillage and evaporation through secondary vent holes.
  • Evaporation through inadequately capped spouts.

The new cans have several improvements including:

  • Automatic shut-off feature to prevent overfilling.
  • Automatic closing feature.
    • Sealed when it is not in use.
    • Prevents leaking vapors.
    • Protects children from accidental spills and ingestion.
    • Secondary venting holes are eliminated to stop venting of fumes into the air.
    • Thicker walls to reduce vapor permeation.

Please contact Angie at coordinator@ucair.org if you have any questions about the gas can exchange.

Source: http://www.ucair.org/hot_topics/ucair-chevron-gas-can-exchange/

Dec 2

Salt Lake City Receives UCAIR Grant to Educate about Idle Free Ordinance

partner_fullcolorSalt Lake City Green is excited to announce that we are a recipient of a Utah Clean Air Partnership (UCAIR) grant to refresh our outreach and engagement efforts for the City’s Idle Free Ordinance!

When Salt Lake City passed the Idle Free Ordinance in late 2011, a concerted effort to engage local businesses and the community to educate about the new ordinance and place idle free signs at key locations throughout the city was undertaken. Air quality is a top priority for Mayor Becker and the residents of Salt Lake City and the time is right to refresh our education and engagement efforts.

As we head into inversion season, Salt Lake City is thrilled to receive the generous grant from UCAIR, which will allow us to refresh our materials (website, handout, signs) and engage once again with the local business community and community at large to make sure everyone understands the benefits of being idle free, the limitations of the ordinance and how they can have a positive impact on our air quality by simply turning their key!

Look for more information soon at SLCgov.com/idlefree. In the meantime, please let us know if you have any questions about the ordinance.

If you would like to report an idling complaint in real time, please call (801) 535-6628. A Salt Lake City compliance officer will be dispatched to investigate.

 

Jul 11

Summer Ozone: Get the Facts

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During the warmest summer months, Salt Lake City experiences poor air quality due to ozone pollution.

This helpful graphic from the Utah Clean Air Partnership – UCAIR outlines how ozone is formed, and what we can do to reduce our impact.

Learn more at UCAIR.org.

(Don’t forget to drive less this July with the Clear the Air Challenge. Track your impact and win prizes – it’s fun!)

May 20

Salt Lake City Expands EV Infrastructure

Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker, Cody Steward, Governor Herbert’s Energy Advisor and Ted Wilson, Director of UCAIR announce the installation of two new fast charging electric vehicle stations.

Today Mayor Ralph Becker joined representatives from the Utah Office of Energy Development (OED) and the Utah Clean Air Partnership (UCAIR) to announce new Salt Lake City infrastructure that supports electric vehicles (EVs) and air quality goals in the region.

“Supporting electric vehicles is another key element of our plan to improve air quality along the Wasatch Front,” said Mayor Becker. “Another critical ingredient is collaboration. These new EV charging stations represent how sharing resources among government agencies, and corporate partners like Nissan, can create a positive outcome for all.”

Salt Lake City’s two new fast-charge stations, donated by Nissan to OED, are among the first of their kind in Utah. OED provided the stations to the City, along with one previously granted to Salt Lake County, as part of an inter-local agreement signed in early 2014. OED and UCAIR then partnered to cover the cost of installing the units. The 480-volt stations can provide a significant charge to the typical electric vehicle in less than an hour.

“The Office of Energy Development was pleased to partner with the City, UCAIR and Nissan on this exciting project,” said Cody Stewart, Energy Advisor to Governor Gary R. Herbert. “It’s important to note that these new charging stations are just one aspect of how electric vehicles are receiving a boost in Utah. Bills passed during the 2014 legislative session enhanced tax credits for EVs, bolstered the state’s fleet of cleaner vehicles and allowed organizations to sell electricity from EV charging stations.” These changes resulted in Utah improving its grade from a B- to a B+ in the 2014 EV Report Card (details here).

In addition to the new fast-charge stations, the City has upgraded its existing public charging infrastructure. Low-voltage EV charging stations were originally added at five locations in 2011 and these stations were recently upgraded to higher voltage units (locations in link below). These new Level 2 stations will allow users to charge their vehicles in about a third of the time. As with the original low voltage stations, these upgraded Level 2 units will remain free for public use.

Parking for EV users will be free, for up to two hours, at all charging stations. However, the City Council is expected to review a proposed fee schedule for electricity at the two fast-charge locations. Fees would help cover costs for monitoring and maintaining the stations, in addition to electricity charges.

More information on the City’s new fast-charge and enhanced Level 2 charging stations can be found at SLCgov.com.

Links to media stories:

Map of charging stations located in Salt Lake City.

Map of charging stations located in Salt Lake City.