Air pollution is becoming a serious problem in the United States. Each state is allowed to determine its own toxic emission fees, and Southern California has decided it is done footing the bill for the regulation of these health-threatening emissions; oil refineries, manufacturers, and other industries are now expected to pay a greater share of the cost of monitoring and controlling the chemicals they’re constantly releasing into the air.
The change will be dramatic. In the past, the toxic emissions fees totaled $500,000 each year; the South Coast Air Quality Management District’s governing board voted eight to four to increase that number almost tenfold, to $4.9 million annually. This was primarily pushed for because the there is a massive shortfall in what the fees are actually covering; the air district spends around $20 million annually regulating these emissions, and the $500,000 does not come anywhere near close to recouping those costs.
At the same time, such low fees allow these industrial companies to choose the easier option — it’s more cost effective for them to simply pay half a million than change their tactics to lower emissions. Residents who live in the area’s worst-polluted communities have suffered the brunt of this attitude; cases of asthma, cancer, and other health problems have risen as a result of living and going to school near oil refineries, cement plants, metal factories, and other heavy industry.
“It is still far too cheap to pollute and it’s far too expensive to breathe unhealthy air,” said Carlo De La Cruz of the Sierra Club, an environmental organization based in San Francisco. “The true cost is already being borne by the residents who can’t afford their health bills, who can’t afford to take a day off school or work and are therefore paying the hidden costs of air pollution.”
As the most used manmade material in the world, concrete has a particularly large and detrimental footprint. It is made from a combination of aggregates and cement; the manufacture of cement is one of the world’s largest producers of carbon dioxide. Southern California has more than half a dozen concrete manufacturing plants
From the danger of cement emissions to the industries that require smokestacks (which need to be constantly monitored to ensure atmospheric oxygen levels don’t fall below 19.5%), the need to stay on top of air pollution is greater than ever. Add in the fact that 66.7 million homes and 5.4 million businesses rely on the burning of natural gas for power, and you’ve got a serious problem. Hopefully, this major boost in fees will force those who are doing the most harm to consider their actions and make the necessary changes toward a healthier business; with a trickle-down effect that will improve the lives of those living in the region, it’s absolutely worth a try.
