News Release
For Immediate Release
Contact: Beth Gorman (520) 740-3343
Tucson, Arizona (May 15, 2006) The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration's (NOAA) National Weather Service, and Pima County
Department of Environmental Quality urge Americans to "Be
Air Aware" during Air Quality Awareness Week, May 15 - 19,
2006.
Be aware of the quality of the air you breathe by checking
out the Pima County Department of Environmental Quality’s
Air Info Now website (www.
AirInfoNow.org) and telephone hotline
(882-4AIR). Check the U.S. EPA website for more information on
Air Quality Awareness week (www.epa.gov/airnow/airaware/airaware.html).
Below are actions that not only reduce air pollution, but also
improve gasoline savings. What a combination when gas prices
are so high and clean air is so precious!
• Maintain Your Vehicle
◊ A well-maintained vehicle produces up to 20% less
ozone-related emissions
◊ Emission related repairs will reduce pollution and improve
fuel economy by 4% (23 gallons a year)
◊ Replacing a clogged air filter can improve a vehicle’s
gas mileage by as much as 10% (55 gallons a year)
• Properly inflate tires
◊ Keeping tires with right amount of air pressure can
improve vehicle gas mileage by 3% (18 gallons a year)
• Stop at the click when fueling up
◊ When the gas pump nozzle clicks off automatically, don’t
add a little more gas to round off your purchase. Topping
off your gas tank is bad for the environment and your wallet.
◊ Topping off the gas tank can result in your paying for gasoline that
is fed back into the station's tanks because your gas tank is full. The gas
nozzle automatically clicks off when your gas tank is full. Any additional
gas you try to pump into your tank may be drawn into the vapor line and fed
back into the station’s storage tanks.
◊ You need extra room in your gas tank to allow the gasoline to expand.
If you top off your tank, the extra gas may evaporate into your vehicle’s
vapor collection system. That system may become fouled and
will not work properly causing your vehicle to run poorly
and have high gas emissions.
◊ Gasoline vapors are harmful to breathe. Gasoline vapors
contribute to bad ozone days and are a source of toxic air
pollutants such as benzene. Evaporation from the spillage
of gas from overfilling can occur, contributing to the air pollution
problem. Remember you pay for the gas that evaporates or
is spilled on the ground.
Be careful not to spill fuel and always tighten your gas cap
securely.
You can help reduce
pollution in your community by following these guidelines. These
recommendations are especially important when ground-level ozone
is expected to be elevated:
• Trip Chaining – when
you start your car after it has been sitting for more than an
hour, it pollutes about five times more than when the engine
is warm. Combine errands to reduce "cold
starts" of your car. Combining three separate short trips
(such as to a nearby bank, post office, and grocery store)
into one trip every week could eliminate about 200 miles on
your vehicle, and save you 10 hours and 10 gallons of gas every
year.
• Choose a cleaner commute — carpooling, using transit,
biking, or walking just one day a week for a year instead of
driving alone can save about 1,200 miles on your vehicle and
about $455 in driving costs.
• Avoid unnecessary idling. Park and walk into the restaurant,
bank, or pharmacy. Idling in drive-thru window lines produces
air pollution and wastes gasoline.
• Conserve electricity and set your air conditioner at
a higher temperature.
• Bicycle or walk to errands when possible.
• Defer use of gasoline-powered lawn and garden equipment
for later in the day, or for days when the air quality is better.
• Refuel cars and trucks after dusk when sunlight is not
present to form ozone from gas fumes.
• Properly dispose of household paints, solvents and pesticides.
Store these materials in airtight containers to reduce volatile
organic compounds (VOCs) from evaporating into the air and
forming ozone.
• Paint with a brush, not a sprayer to reduce overspray
emissions.
• Buy low VOC paints for indoor and outdoor painting jobs.
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