Panel sees public information key in battle against pollution

Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2000 | 9:35 a.m.

A committee of high-powered Las Vegans has been meeting for more than a year in response to threats from the Environmental Protection Agency to cut federal funding unless air pollution levels drop.

That committee was expected to be formally recognized today by the County Commission and to begin work on a public information campaign.

The EPA has cited Southern Nevada for serious pollution from the invisible gas carbon monoxide and dust particles that can damage the lungs of young and old.

Commissioner Erin Kenny, the driving force behind the 21-member committee, said she believes the committee's work, which will consist mostly of educating the general public and public officials about the problem, is vital to the valley's future.

What brought many of the movers and shakers to the environmental table is the threat of the federal government cutting off highway funds or refusing sewer permits that would bring growth to a halt, Kenny said.

"If there is one thing that can shut this town down, it is air pollution," Kenny said on Monday.

The committee, which includes developers, hotel representatives, former government officials, politicians and one environmentalist, is scheduled to meet Thursday at the County Government Center.

"The fact that I am the only 'environmentalist' on the committee doesn't bother me," said Jeff van Ee, a Las Vegas Valley activist.

Developers and resort owners have a vested interest in clearing the air, but van Ee said his interest is personal as well as scientific.

As New Year's Eve crowds gathered in downtown Las Vegas and in front of Strip hotels, van Ee's mother and father-in-law were admitted to local hospitals for breathing problems. His father-in-law on Monday remained in intensive care at Lake Mead Hospital Medical Center in North Las Vegas.

Van Ee said it's not only the impact of polluted air on older Las Vegas residents, but the children that worries him the most.

He points to a city of Las Vegas survey last year that measured quality of life from residents' perspectives. More than 20 percent of them said they or family members suffered from asthma or other allergies.

"I believe air quality is getting worse based on the anecdotal evidence and the visibility of the air," van Ee said, noting the brown pall that hung over the valley on Saturday.

In December the World Health Organization estimated 700,000 premature deaths a year worldwide could be prevented in developing countries if three pollutants -- dust particles, carbon monoxide and lead -- were brought down to safe levels.

Like the Las Vegas Valley, the rest of the world is adding motor vehicles and more particulates and carbon monoxide to the air. The World Bank estimates the number of motor vehicles worldwide could grow from 580 million in 1990 to 816 million by 2010.

"Any comprehensive solution to air pollution needs to hear from every segment of the community," van Ee said.

Nevada Resort Association Executive Director Richard Bunker, a committee member, said, "If we don't do anything else but raise public awareness of the problem, I think that's critical."