SAME WORK BUT WROTE BY ANOTHER STUDENT HIS NAME IS IT’S JUST A RESPONCE TO THE ARTICAL OF 250 WORDS y serious matter. Furthermore, just recently many countries united together

SAME WORK BUT WROTE BY ANOTHER STUDENT HIS NAME IS IT’S JUST A RESPONCE TO THE ARTICAL OF 250 WORDS y serious matter. Furthermore, just recently many countries united together to discuss the environmental issues the world faces. Air pollution in San Antonio is an enormous issue as it registers the 2nd worst air quality in the entire state of Texas. In comparison, Houston fairs slightly better than San Antonio and Dallas leads for the worst air quality in the state. Ron Nirenberg, who represents the city of San Antonio with the Alamo Area Council of Governments Air Improvement Resources committee mentions. “San Antonio must act as soon as possible to reduce air pollution.” Nirenberg also mentions, “I’m a little frustrated that the city took two years to craft a plan and is now teetering on noncompliance with federal air quality standards.” San Antonio has been listed in violation for ozone by the EPA. Liza Meyer, specials projects manager with the city’s Office of Sustainability says, “It’s time to move. I think the sense of urgency is here now.” Their plan is to reduce the amount of vehicles on roadways by at least 33,000. Another part of the plan is to fine motorists who leave their vehicles idle. Dallas and several other Texas communities have enabled cities to cite vehicles, particularly large trucks that are running idle for more than five minutes per hour with fines ranging from $500 to $2,000. These are small steps that cities are taking to reduce emissions and the other pollutant footprints. The city estimates that at least 150 tons of nitrogen oxides would be eliminated, which is the equivalent of 14,000 vehicles. This is a very feasible method of reducing air pollution, but I feel that more needs to be done. More regulations have to be put into place, cities that do not meet these standards should be penalized with grant restrictions to induce them to be more responsible. Air quality control is a must. Without a healthy air supply many different health issues could arise putting many people at risk. If we continue to grow our city, we must do so responsibly, within the standards of the EPA and TCEQ. We should lead all cities in air quality control, so that other cities and states follow our example. I agree with both Liza Meyers and Ron Nirenberg, it is time to change the direction in which San Antonio tackles environmental issues. Tougher regulation should be imposed by the state and federal level. We must discourage any type of neglect to our environment and our community. The future of tomorrow relies heavily on the decisions we make today. Improving air quality standards will definitely slow the catastrophic effects of global warming. Without the global effort in cutting edge technology which enables us to progress with a more sustainable and forward thinking approach we would be hopeless in solving many decades of pollution. As future engineers we must continue to push the envelop in creating more sustainable mechanisms for delivering better quality air, soil, and water to all global communities.