Letter: Heber needs to address poor air quality

Heber City is one of the fastest-growing communities in the country. It’s a testament to our excellent quality of life, beautiful surroundings and dynamic economy.

But growth pressure in our valley does require us to plan for the future. The population boom has meant more cars and traffic congestion. As a result, we’re seeing our air quality deteriorate, particularly during winter inversions.

More and more, I’m hearing from community members who are concerned about the health risks and impact on our valley’s tourism appeal. The time to act is now, not when our air quality is much worse. That’s why we formed a county-wide advisory committee to discuss what elected officials can do to address the problem.

People often ask me, “How can I help clean up our air?” One idea is to get educated on proposals that would put the whole country — not just Heber City — on a clean energy path. Sen. Romney has shown real leadership on this front.

He recently floated a proposal that would charge fossil fuel companies for their carbon emissions and return all the money to the American people in quarterly checks. Known as “carbon dividends,” this plan would cut harmful carbon emissions in half, and a family of four would receive about $2,000 per year.

What I like about this solution is that it would encourage clean tech innovation. Ultimately, that’s what we need to keep Heber City — and all of America — healthy and beautiful.

Kelleen Potter

Heber City