UCAIR executive director plans to focus on the effects of vehicle idling due to a presentation by an associate professor of USU

By Ashley Springer 

The executive director of UCAIR — an organization that helps communities and individuals make small changes to improve air quality — expressed interest in working with an associate professor of Utah State University on his findings from a study on the effects of tailpipe emissions on the air quality. The presentation of the study took place at the second annual Cache Clean Air Consortium  on Monday at the Riverwoods Conference Center.

Randy Martin, an associate professor at USU, spoke at the consortium discussing his findings from his recently completed study on the tailpipe emissions released while idling as well as during hot and cold starts in vehicles. The study tested 68 vehicles.

In the study Martin found in most cases idling — leaving the vehicle on when not moving — could actually be worse for the air than hot starts as greater amounts of emissions are released into the air during an equal amount of time.

This presentation caught the attention of Ted Wilson, the executive director of UCAIR.

One of the three of the things UCAIR focuses on is educating the public. In their educational campaign, UCAIR focuses on inviting people to carpool, use transit, turn their thermostat down and be aware of the effects of cold and hot start in their vehicles. However, because of Martin’s findings, Wilson said he is hoping to focus more on the idling issue than UCAIR had done before.

Wilson said the information Martin presented was worth his drive to Logan.

This partnership goes along with the running theme of the consortium of members of the community working together.

“In order for us all to have better air quality we must work together,” said Melissa Gibbs, one of the speakers at the consortium and the airshed coordinator for the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality.