By Jared Fry Frontrunner. Photo credit: Flickr Creative Commons vxla My name is Jared Fry, and I commute 100 miles via public transportation every weekday. To be honest, the purpose in sharing my story is to help promote the use of public transportation and help improve air quality in Utah. My wife, Amy, and I …
Read MoreBy Ann Brown and Karen Stewart, Guest Bloggers DEQ invites guest bloggers to share their thoughts on issues that impact our environment. We appreciate their insights and the opportunity to broaden the conversation with others in the community. Winter in Utah brings to mind crystal clear blue skies, snow-capped mountains, and a long ski season. …
Read MoreBy Brittany Guerra, Guest Blogger DEQ invites guest bloggers to share their thoughts on issues that impact our environment. We appreciate their insights and the opportunity to broaden the conversation with others in the community. Winter months in Utah bring snow sports, holiday feasting, and seasonal inversions. As you’ve watched the mountain line slowly disappear …
Read MoreBy Donna Kemp Spangler It doesn’t take a scientist to know Utah has prolonged periods of bad air during the winter. But it does take a team of local and national scientific researchers to understand more fully why we have bad air. For years, the Utah Department of Environmental Quality’s air-quality scientists have been focused …
Read MoreBy Mat Carlile Last week’s inversion wasn’t the kind of “present” any of us wanted for the holidays. We know that fine particulates caused by the buildup of pollutants under the inversion’s “lid” create poor air quality and poses a health risk, particularly to the young, elderly, and those with respiratory and heart disease. We …
Read Moreby Tammie Bostick Cooper, Guest Blogger DEQ invites guest bloggers to share their thoughts on issues that impact our environment. We appreciate their insights and the opportunity to broaden the conversation with others in the community. Ten years ago, my niece came to my mountain home and announced her class was campaigning to stop the …
Read Moreby Dianne R. Nielson, Ph.D. DEQ invites guest bloggers to share their thoughts on issues that impact our environment. We appreciate their insights and the opportunity to broaden the conversation with others in the community. “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that …
Read MoreBy Austin Pettey It’s awesome when an incredible opportunity opens up, and it seems like all your hard work is beginning to pay off. I was recently selected as a summer intern with the Utah Division of Air Quality (DAQ). I am a third year student at the University of Utah studying chemical engineering. While …
Read MoreBy Christine Osborne The Utah Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has consistently demonstrated its commitment to reducing air pollution by encouraging employee vanpools, issuing free Eco-Pass annual transit passes to all employees, and providing lockers and changing rooms for bike commuters. We brought hybrid cars, then electric vehicles, into our fleet. And now we’re ready …
Read MoreBy Bailey Toolson, Guest Blogger DEQ invites guest bloggers to share their thoughts on issues that impact our environment. We appreciate their insights and the opportunity to broaden the conversation with others in the community. As part of the annual Clear the Air Challenge, the Utah Clean Air Partnership (UCAIR) and the Department of Environmental …
Read MoreBy Bo Call You may have heard about the low-cost air quality sensors that people have been using to collect personal air quality data during high pollution periods. The question I often get is, “Do they really work?” And all I have to say is, “Well, it depends.” The regulatory monitors we use at DEQ …
Read MoreBy Elisa Smith Each year, the Clear the Air Challenge asks Wasatch Front residents to reduce their vehicle emissions by cutting down on their trips. We spoke with DEQ’s Elisa Smith, a “Top 5” winner of the 2015 winter air quality challenge, to learn how she makes public transit a way of life for herself …
Read MoreBy Angie Koford Editor’s note: April is Earth Month at DEQ. We’ve invited guest bloggers to share their thoughts on the ways individuals, businesses, governments, and universities can contribute to making our world a little greener. Warmer spring temperatures make me want to spend my weekends working in the yard. Time to get out the …
Read MoreBy Jay Morris Did you know that there are over 1,500 stationary emission sources in Utah, along with several hundred federal and state air quality rules and regulations that cover these sources? When I first started performing air quality compliance inspections, I had no idea! Our program, which includes inspections, compliance assistance, and enforcement, protects …
Read MoreBy Payden McRoberts One million dollars. That sounds like a lot of money, right? Well, it is.The 2014 Legislature’s appropriation of $1 million to the Division of Air Quality (DAQ) for research projects is an important step towards finding solutions for Utah’s complex air quality problems. After vetting a number of proposals last fall, DEQ …
Read MoreBy Donna Kemp Spangler Protecting Utah’s environment for the better usually happens incrementally. But change is happening, and it is happening faster than ever before, thanks to a Utah public that has become more engaged, a Utah Legislature that has prioritized funding to make it happen, and the dedicated employees at the Department of Environmental …
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Air Quality
Drinking Water
Environmental Response and Remediation
Waste Management and Radiation Control
Water Quality
Executive Director’s Office