Op-Ed: The Great (Downfall of) Salt Lake

As pioneers settled in the Midwest of North America in 1847, their right to freely practice their religion was finally realized. Fireplaces built into each family-centered home filled living spaces with warmth. By the 1880s, coal and wood were the primary fuels used to stay snug. What filled the skies on cold winter nights seemed not to matter.

Salt Lake County would later grow to 1.21 million residents by 2024. The risks of living here are significant: proximity to the Wasatch Fault line and potential impacts from a long-overdue supervolcanic eruption in Yellowstone. Yet, rated the sixth most kid-friendly metro area in America, families of all backgrounds continue to find comfort in staying put.

There is just one issue: pollution is becoming impossible to ignore. The seasons feel as though they are slowly disappearing, blending into the bipolar weather patterns locals have come to normalize. Dust pollution, combined with industrial and vehicular emissions, creates inversions that consistently rank Salt Lake City among the worst in the nation for toxic air. What are officials doing to ensure their constituents can live — and breathe?