Fulton Brock your position is self-serving

Clearing up some points on cleaning up our air … Fulton Brock … My Turn … Jan. 31, 2007 12:00 AM

The Republic's Jon Talton took exception to Maricopa County's "Bring Back Blue" clean-air initiative ("Blowin' smoke: Clean-air campaign is such a typical Valley 'effort,' " Sunday). I want to set the record straight. The area has an air-pollution problem that we need to fix. This information and education effort is aimed at the culprits: all of us. About 3.8 million of us contribute to this problem. Those 3.8 million people breathe the same air. Research conducted last year told us that people wanted to know what they could do individually about air pollution. The Bring Back Blue effort is designed to do just that. We offer 12 (Dirty Dozen) ways for average citizens to reduce dust and particulate pollution.As was correctly stated in Talton's column, tailpipe emissions are one of the single-biggest problems. The fact is: Every 30 miles of driving produces one pound of pollutants.If your round-trip from home to work is 30 miles and you can carpool just one day a week, ride the bus just once every two weeks, and talk your boss into a flexible schedule to stay off rush-hour roads just once a month, you can reduce the pollutants you are responsible for by roughly five pounds a month. In March, I will join my fellow supervisors in challenging all of us to do just that. Although most citizens don't directly affect it, Maricopa County takes pollution from construction dust very seriously. Nearly $2 million in fines were levied on major polluters in 2005, and in 2006, Maricopa County increased those fines to $3.7 million. We'll continue to work with industry to find cleaner ways of operating and, when necessary, we'll fine businesses that won't. We all love our life in the Valley, and we know our lifestyles directly affect the quality of life for us and for our kids. The banner on the Maricopa County court building is designed to draw attention to this issue, the first step in solving any problem. We're glad it got the columnist's attention. The writer is chairman of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.

Why do I find $upervisor Fulton Brock’s position woefully self $erving…?

It may well begin with the fact the Mr. Brock is by profession a registered investment advisor. Forgive me but this rings of someone who is not necessarily objective when it comes to air pollution. Mr. Brock is correct we and Mr. Brock are indeed the culprits…?

I totally disagree with Mr. Brock, we do not take pollution from any form of construction seriously. To do so risks in the minds of many citizens in Maricopa County and in our State – killing – the goose who is laying the golden egg – our unrestricted growth upon which our State is being built. If we were indeed serious about addressing this form of air pollution, we would begin to propose solutions which address in a very realistic manner our obsession with “urban sprawl.” These forms of solutions will not be devised when all the conversations take place behind closed doors devoid of honest input from the public. But, until we demand to have a voice as well as a seat at the table, we will remain totally excluded and subjected to their political solutions.

We have a choice. The opportunity is now to stand up and demand our governmental officials not only hear us but take action immediately on the solutions we propose to them.

You want honest long term solutions, Supervisor Brock open these discussion up to the public. Stop the closed door political solutions currently governing our nation, state and county.