Commission to be asked to approve cleaner gasoline rules to fight pollution

Tuesday, Jan. 5, 1999 | 11:07 a.m.

Southern Nevada's unhealthful levels of winter air pollution have been so bad that the Clark County Commission will be asked to approve cleaner gasoline rules this spring, a local environmental official said.

The valley is close to exceeding federal guidelines and could face restrictions on growth and a loss of highway funds.

When carbon monoxide -- the invisible and deadly gas in vehicle exhaust -- exceeds 100 parts per million on the pollution index, Clark County gets a black mark for cleaner air and an "unhealthful days" designation. This year, three unhealthful days have been recorded, Air Pollution Control Director Michael Naylor said Monday.

But two of those days saw pollution levels above 113 parts per million, exceeding the federal clean air standard. Southern Nevada's air becomes unhealthful when cold and still air becomes trapped under a warmer layer of atmosphere, usually on days from October through January.

Clark County cannot exceed the 113 level more than twice in the next two years, Naylor said, or it will face federal penalties such as loss of highway funds or even a curb on rapid growth.

Southern Nevada has already been declared as a "serious nonattainment" area for both carbon monoxide and dust particles. Although the carbon monoxide is invisible, tiny particles suspended in the air create haze, reducing views across the valley.

Health officials will present a plan to the County Commission by February to reduce carbon monoxide levels by at least 10 percent, Naylor said.

To do so, Southern Nevada environmental experts are proposing to reduce sulfur content and aromatic hydrocarbons in local gasoline.

The Environmental Protection Agency is considering limits on sulfur content in gas nationwide.

California, where most gasoline in the Las Vegas Valley is made, has already lowered the sulfur content, Naylor said.

"If the County Commission agrees to lower the sulfur content, the new gas could be delivered here as soon as the fall of this year," Naylor said.

Environmental officials are presenting details of the plan to curb carbon monoxide at a workshop scheduled for 1 p.m. Wednesday at McCarran International Airport's fifth floor conference room.

After that, the County Commission is expected to receive a revised clean air plan by February.

Then the commission will conduct public hearings on the proposed changes in gasoline.

Petroleum industry officials are fighting the changes to fuels, saying cleaner gasoline means higher prices, perhaps up to six cents per gallon, at the neighborhood pumps.

The Western States Petroleum Association has calculated that pollution from carbon monoxide will drop by the year 2000 without reducing sulfur content. The EPA requires no more than 9 parts per million of carbon monoxide measured in the air by that time. Since carbon monoxide levels are dropping nationwide, the oil companies see no reason for stricter regulations on gasoline.

In addition to less sulfur in gasoline, the Clark County Department of Comprehensive Planning is also proposing stricter smog checks, since more than 85 percent of the carbon monoxide comes from vehicle exhausts.

In August the County Commission approved a resolution asking the Nevada Environmental Commission to begin smog checks on diesel trucks and buses, which are not required to pass the annual clean air test that light trucks and cars do.

There has been some progress at the state level, said William Cates, in charge of the clean air program for the county's Department of Comprehensive Planning. The county is also working with the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles to initiate diesel smog checks.