The Wright Words: Cleaner air needed now

I was pleased to hear Sen. Lamar Alexander has spoken out against the Bush plan for reducing the emissions that cause the awful air pollution we often see. The Great Smoky Mountains are much too beautiful to be hidden from view by smog. This administration has dragged its feet far too long on this issue, obviously trying to placate the polluters most responsible for the problem. Environmental groups have been shouting at deaf ears in the White House for some time now. Hopefully, now that Sen. Alexander is giving his support to the cause, a strong anti-pollution bill can be passed in the near future. The residents of this area have suffered from poor air quality for many years. Young children and the elderly are especially affected by severe pollution, as are those with respiratory problems. There are days during the summer when even the average person has difficulty due to the smog and humidity. Because of above-average amounts of rainfall, this year has not been quite as bad. The main culprits involved in creating the unhealthy air are the coal-burning power plants run by TVA, and by coal-fired emissions carried by wind from other states. It is past time to crack down on these polluters by passing laws that will force them to greatly reduce emissions in the next few years. Motor vehicles are responsible for about one third of the pollutants, according to statistics given by Sen. Alexander to members of Congress. The automakers in the U.S. have had many years to develop vehicles that use fuels other than gasoline. There is certainly no reason why efficient electric cars are not on the market. I suspect that the big U.S. oil companies are in collusion with the automakers to prevent this from happening. Bush and Cheney are former oil executives. Hmmm.