On Oct. 6 Wisconsin Environment, an environment policy group, released a report showing that three cities in Wisconsin—Kenosha, Sheboygan and Racine—are among the 10 top smoggiest metropolitan areas in the United States.
Smog is a harmful air pollutant that can cause asthma attacks and aggravate other respiratory illnesses. This issue particularly affects infants and the elderly. While the three cities in Wisconsin are not as polluted as Los Angeles, they still need to begin dealing with their smog levels.
Smog is detrimental to the people's health. The effects may not be noticeable or fast acting, but symptoms such as diminished lung capacity, lung disease and even premature deaths are seen later in life.
These cities need to be proactive in reducing their smog levels to reasonable and safe levels. So what can Kenosha, Sheboygan and Racine do to get on the right track?
One simple and often overlooked step is to promote the increased use of public transportation. By allocating funds to bus system upgrades, smog emissions produced by cars will be greatly depleted.
Regulating the use of other gas-powered tools such as lawn mowers can also help reduce smog. Furthermore, these areas can regulate the sale of household cleaners, which are detrimental to air quality when they evaporate. Simple and proactive steps like these can help protect our communities from an invisible killer.
What local cities cannot do is rely on the federal government to come to their rescue. The federal government has simply refused to help.
Under the Clean Air Act, the Environmental Protection Agency is required to set a national standard for smog pollution. However, the EPA believes the current standards are inadequate and need to be updated. Earlier this year, the administration of President Barack Obama considered updating these standards, but decided to abandon this effort until 2013.
It is imperative that the president reconsiders his decision, even if it is a contentious issue during the 2012 campaigns. Smog in these communities is killing people, and the lives of American citizens should be the top priority for the government. However, as we saw earlier in his administration's decision to wait two more years to address the issue, it isn't.
Therefore, it is up to these cities to clean up their own mess. Setting acceptable smog levels in these communities is a necessity. Racine, Kenosha and Sheboygan must take a look at their priorities and move smog reduction to the top of their lists. Whether it is adopting new industrial standards, promoting public transportation or even something more drastic like shutting down factories for a day to clear the air, action needs to be taken.
Nick Fritz is a junior majoring in marketing. Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
