Editorial: Air quality deserves priority

Thursday, Aug. 23, 2001 | 9:27 a.m.

It was good to hear the Environmental Protection Agency's administrator say that the federal government is a "long way from discussing penalties" against Clark County, which is attempting to comply with clean air standards. EPA Administrator Christie Whitman made her comments Tuesday in Carson City following a meeting she had with Gov. Kenny Guinn, Clark County Commissioner Bruce Woodbury and other officials.

In the past year local and state officials have gotten serious about implementing a plan to get the valley's air quality in conformity with the provisions of the Clean Air Act, which call for the plan to control fine airborne dust to be in place by the end of the year. Of course, nothing focuses a local official's attention like the threat of federal government sanctions, and the dust control plan has been submitted to the EPA for review. But if the EPA finds that state government isn't following through on its plan and taking concrete steps to meet clean air standards, the federal agency has the authority to stop new development until state officials put in place measures that will clean up the air.

So far the Bush administration has not been tough on polluters. But federal sanctions shouldn't be the real motivator for Nevada officials, who must not make the mistake of interpreting Whitman's remarks as an excuse to relax. Their motivation should be the health of Clark County residents -- just this week Nevada was found to have the highest rate of adult asthma in the nation -- and they need to continue implementing a plan that will meet Clean Air Act standards in a reasonable time.