Editorial: Fight smog by spurring hybrid sales

Friday, April 16, 2004 | 5 a.m.

WEEKEND EDITION

April 17 - 18, 2004

Ever since the growth boom began in earnest 15 years ago, Clark County has been fighting a losing battle against air pollution. For most of that period the air over the Strip, downtown and residential areas has frequently dipped below what the Environmental Protection Agency calls "attainment," meaning the level at which the air meets federal standards. It will be even tougher in the future to reach attainment, as new federal clean-air standards are more stringent. Last week, the EPA released a list of almost 500 counties that fall below attainment under the new standards and, sure enough, Clark was among them.

The EPA cites ground-level ozone, formed when emissions cause chemical reactions, as a leading cause of foul air. According to the agency, most of the ozone in urban areas such as Las Vegas comes from cars, buses, trucks, construction vehicles and boats. Southern Nevada is particularly vulnerable, as intense sunlight stimulates the reactions that cause ozone. The haze that often obscures Strip hotels and wafts over neighborhoods is full of ozone. Here's what the EPA says about it: "Ozone is responsible for the choking, coughing and stinging eyes associated with smog. Ozone damages lung tissue, aggravates respiratory disease and makes people more susceptible to respiratory infections. Children are especially vulnerable, as are adults with existing disease. But even otherwise healthy individuals may experience impaired health from breathing ozone-polluted ai r."

The battle against ozone has made little progress, despite mechanical improvements in cars that reduce harmful emissions. Why? Because the amount of cars keeps increasing. Since the Clean Air Act passed in 1970, the number of cars on the road, and the miles driven, has doubled, the EPA says. This means Clark County, which has a three-year deadline to achieve attainment under the new rules, will again be hard-pressed to make progress -- unless it puts together a plan more innovative than its plans of the past.

Last week Ford Motor Co. Chairman and Chief Executive Bill Ford advocated federal tax breaks for people who purchase hybrids. An electric motor on these vehicles -- which produces zero emissions -- kicks in every time the need for power is drastically reduced, such as in stop-and-go traffic. We think Ford's idea has merit on the local level, too. With more than enough traffic jams to justify such a move, Clark County, perhaps in partnership with the state, should consider providing an incentive to spur hybrid sales. Perhaps a one-year's reduction in property taxes, or reduced registration fees, would be enough to get more hybrids on the road. And with enough of them on the road, the county would be on the road to meeting its deadline.