Arizona Business Magazine


Special Inserts:	Finance & Investment Guide \| Valley Forward



		Material Matters
		Trying to solve the region’s air problems
		inding solutions to the Valley’s infamous brown cloud have been a key challenge for regional business and environmental officials. And now, the Environmental Protection Agency has given Maricopa County a Dec. 31 deadline to reach attainment of the national particulate standard.
		Holly Ward, community and media relations manager of the Maricopa County Air Quality Department says there were 19 days where at least one of the county’s air quality monitors exceeded the federal standard in both 2005 and 2006, they knew they would not meet the December deadline. “As a result, Maricopa County, along with the state, Maricopa Association of Governments and local regulatory agencies, must develop a ‘Rate of Progress Plan,’” Ward explains. “This plan will include a five percent reduction in particulate emissions every year until we reach attainment. We must have three years of clean data before we can achieve that goal.” To help achieve this goal and avoid losing as much as billions in transportation funding, and to avoid hazardous air conditions, Maricopa County has approached Valley Forward, an association comprised of business and civic leaders who promote a balance between economic development and environmental quality. “Valley Forward has indicated interest in how they can help. It lends itself to the ‘all hands on deck’ approach.” Maricopa County’s educational outreach campaign started this month with advertising and billboards. “We hear from industry leaders that they are on board and would like to help, but need to figure out how to actually do something about it,” Ward adds. That is where Valley Forward hopes they can help. Roger Ferland, director and head of the Environmental Practice Group at Quarles and Brady Streich Lang and long-time Valley Forward member, notes particulate matter is worse in winter months and can cause serious health problems. “The problem is we are all causing the problem,” Ferland says. “We need to identify the major areas where we need to make improvements. We know what some of them are, like dust from construction, farming and driving. Developers are already doing a lot to reduce dust, but can they do more? Maricopa County is looking at that, and when they do, Valley Forward will get the word out and make sure people understand.” Ferland adds Valley Forward can get the business community behind it by showing it has to be a Valleywide effort. “It’s not just a problem with an isolated group, but is something that everyone has to deal with,” Ferland says. He is confident Valley Forward, which has pushed for vehicle emissions systems and cleaner burning gasoline, can help. “In an area as fast-growing as this, we may not like the air, but it could be a lot worse if you didn’t have proactive groups like Valley Forward pushing for tighter measures,” Ferland says. Kathryn DeBoer, co-chair of Valley Forward's Transportation/Air Committee and vice president of WestGroup Research, adds Valley Forward has already been committed to air quality while sustaining positive growth in the Valley, so supporting Maricopa County‘s efforts makes sense. “We’ve had discussions on how can we, as a leader in the business community, relay the message.” DeBoer adds Valley Forward will be running features in their newsletter and doing whatever they can to support Maricopa County to communicate the message of reducing particulate matter. A feat, DeBoer recognizes, that will not be easy. “The challenge is that all the obvious stuff has been done already, like telling people to drive less,” DeBoer says. “Now it’s trying to communicate that even small steps, like using a broom instead of a leaf blower and controlling ATV usage, can help. This little stuff makes the message a little harder to communicate, but little steps can make a difference too.” Mark McLaren of HDR/S.R. Beard & Associates and Deboer's co-chair on Valley Forward's committee, notes the organization is better positioned to reach business and industry than the greater public. “We will supplement the county's messages to the general public with an outreach program targeted to the business community,” McClaren says. “The business sector must work together with the Maricopa County air quality department and be forthright and straightforward. They need to know the rules and be an active part of the process as well as know who to contact and ask questions when in doubt.” The bottom line, both Maricopa County and Valley Forward officials agree, is educating Valley residents and businesses about steps that can be taken to reduce particulate matter and the importance in doing so. “The biggest part of this campaign is educating people about what particulates do to you,” DeBoer adds. Maricopa County’s Ward said many people do not realize the county has a pollution problem and that they can help. “It’s tough because I hear a lot of people say they are just one person and can’t make a difference. We’re all a piece of this pie. If 50 people don’t do anything, that’s 50 more polluters. We need everyone to make an individual effort to help fix this problem,” Ward said. “Breathing clean air should not be an option. It should be mandatory.”