Public Can Attend Air Quality Summit Discussion

By J. Gelband, 11-26-07

If you’re in Boise, maybe you’ve noticed the city’s declining air quality. The sky over the Valley has been looking like sludge lately, blocking the view of foothills that crown the city, making for burn bans and creating difficulties for many to simply breathe well.

This year, the Treasure Valley is experiencing one of the worst air quality years on record with 131 air quality alerts, according to the Department of Environmental Quality.

It’s not just a sign of the winter inversion, - air quality really is declining, according to the Boise City Council, which is hosting an air quality discussion on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

The Air Quality Summit will be an open discussion about why air quality is declining and what can be done to improve conditions. Anyone can attend and ask questions to air quality experts and elected officials from Ada and Canyon counties.

If you can’t attend the meeting on the 3rd floor of Boise City Hall, ask questions and make comments by emailing .

Boise Mayor Dave Bieter will speak, and political analyst and BSU Professor Emeritus Dr. Jim Weatherby will moderate the meeting. Several local agencies will offer presentations, and topics on the agenda include: identifying the reasons for poor air quality; what the state is doing to help; Governor Otter’s Climate Change Initiative; transportation and air quality, and next steps.

Read more about the city of Boise’s Climate Protection Program to find out what some local agencies are doing about improving air quality and for background to ask questions at the summit meeting tomorrow.