A Michigan environmental group released data that shows smog levels in the state have worsened over the past two years.
Megan Owens, spokeswoman for the Public Interest Research Group in Michigan, said there is a proposal to change a portion of the Clean Air Act - but not for the better.
“Changing a section of the Clean Air Act would make it easier to pollute,” Owens said. “It certainly is not a time to be weakening our health standards.”
Smog, which is technically known ground-level ozone, is any release from the burning of fossil fuels. While cars produce smog, the main cause of this problem is coal-burning power plants, Owens said.
“We need to start taking steps to decrease the air pollution coal plants produce,” she said. “Cars, in fact, are getting cleaner. So we felt like our next major source is the coal-burning power plants.”
Bob Ellerhorst director of utilities at MSU’s Simon Power Plant, said they have been reducing the amount of pollutants they produce.
“We’re doing all of their requirements that exist for the Clean Water Act,” Ellerhorst said. “We’re in full compliance.”
But Owens said while power plants are keeping with the requirements for the act, it’s not enough.
“They are in compliance with the law, but the law is too weak,” she said. “And we really don’t want the White House to weaken those standards.”
According to data released recently by the Michigan research group, Michigan violated the national health standard for smog density almost 160 times between April and September. This year, there have been 132 instances where violations of the standard were reported, but data will be incomplete until the end of September.
Owens said the problem has increased significantly since the data they received in 2000, and Michigan was recently ranked 13th in the nation for days in which there was at least one violation of the national health standard reported.
Mitchell Petz, co-coordinator of MSU environmental student group ECO, said the weather also can be associated with the threat.
“It makes sense with the global climate change,” he said. “But we are polluting more.”
Owens said air temperature affects the smog levels in the air.
“The smog tends to be worse on days when the air’s very hot,” she said.
English sophomore Stephanie Geiger said normally she doesn’t notice any problems in the air.
“It hasn’t really bothered me,” she said. “I have noticed that a lot of people complain of health issues because of the surrounding factors in East Lansing.”
But Petz said there are simple ways to remedy the pollution problem.
“Mass transit need to be implemented,” he said. “Mainly a changes in the way Americans live their lives.”
