Whenever I emerge from the canyon heading to Salt Lake City, I can't help but notice how awful the air looks. At least when we are in the valley and level with the smog, we often don't notice a physical difference in the air around us. But when we can compare the air blanketing the city to the peaks of the mountains, it makes the inversion problem seem all the more disgusting.
Though I know it probably wasn't the smartest move, I took a picture of Salt Lake (top) near the mouth of the canyon when I was driving on the highway. You can't see "the line" of smog as well as you can in other pictures, but the fact that you can only see the very tops of the mountains is worrisome. Then, I took the bottom picture when I was skiing in Park City. I promise, neither of these photos are edited.
I know that Park City and Salt Lake are different in that Salt Lake's location in a valley sets a significant precedent for bad inversion, but I know that we as a city can come up with some solutions to at least diminish this smog.
The legislature is reviewing several bills to help clean up the air; however I am always discouraged by the overwhelming opposition to the bills that would probably be most effective. One of the bills would increase the gas tax in Utah, and the rise in tax would be used to expand public transportation.
ReplyDeleteBut the majority of people do not want to raise taxes... Ever.
Great photos, Kiersten!
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