ST. GEORGE – The 2nd annual Clean Air Summit was hosted at the Marriott Courtyard in St. George.
The event was sponsored by Southern Utah Air Quality Task Force and among the attendees were Mayor Daniel D. McArthur, former Utah Governor Olene S. Walker, and a host of related agencies and environmental groups.
The event was held to discuss air quality issues in Southern Utah and raise public awareness as to what those issues are and what is being done, or not being done to address them.
Mayor McArthur said he and his staff were committed to taking common sense approaches to air quality issues as St. George continues to grow.
Former Governor Walker made a compelling case for the seriousness of air quality issues in Utah as she shared some of her personal experience with the pulmonary fibrosis she is battling.
“You can argue that it doesn’t make a difference, but science tells us different,” Walker said.
Robin Erickson of Utah Clean Cities in St. George said the main thrust of the event is to raise awareness to issues that could arise or periodically arise.
The event will be held annually in September in conjunction with Utah’s declared Idol Free Awareness Month.
The State of Utah has officially declared September 4-10 Air Quality Week in Southern Utah.
The main thrust of this year’s summit focused on two key areas of risk to air quality: dust and idling vehicles.
The Department of Environmental Quality was the keynote speaker on the former while videos and testimony from Salt Lake County School District spearheaded the “no idling” campaign.
For more information on the summit or related issues contact Robin Erickson of Utah Clean Cities at www.utahcleancities.org.
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