As Washington air quality worsens, Congress rolls back protections
Click play to listen to this article.
Air pollution in Washington is getting worse, according to a new report citing transportation emissions as the primary culprit.
Eight of the 12 Washington counties surveyed received an "F" grade for particle pollution, including King and Pierce counties. Yakima and Seattle ranked the eighth- and ninth-worst cities in the country.
Transportation emissions account for nearly a quarter of total air pollution and about 40 percent of Washington's greenhouse gas emissions.
© iStock - Toa55
Laura Kate Bender, assistant vice president of nationwide healthy air for the American Lung Association, said more Americans live in polluted areas now than any time within the last 10 years.
"After decades of progress to clean up the air from policies under the Clean Air Act, we're now starting to see an uptick in pollution levels once again," Bender pointed out. "It shows that we really need to double down on protections that are limiting emissions from vehicles, not roll them back."
Congressional Republicans just voted to rescind the federal waivers that allow California to set emissions standards for vehicles that are stricter than national ones, arguing the rules hurt consumers and the trucking industry.
The report marked the seventh straight year of an increasing health threat from particle pollution nationwide. Particulate matter is a mixture of tiny solids or liquid droplets suspended in air. Small particles can lodge deep in the lungs and cause health problems, including cancer and asthma attacks. Bender added smoke from wildfires, driven by climate change, adds to the problem.
"Those conditions are being made worse by changing temperatures," Bender noted. "Climate change means more extreme heat, and more extreme heat can lead to more ozone pollution, and those are both results that show up in this year's report."
Congressional Republicans are considering revoking the federal tax credit of up to $7,500 for new electric vehicle purchases. The House infrastructure committee is also debating new registration fees which would charge people who drive electric cars more than those who drive gas-powered vehicles.
