Douglas M. Chatham
3312 Cardiff Way
Decatur, GA. 30033 September 20, 1997
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Dear «Honorarium» «LastName»:
The change in the emission inspection requirements for the Metropolitan
Atlanta area planned by the EPA should be reversed. It is a very
costly proposal that will not reduce Atlanta's hydrocarbon or
ozone levels. It completely ignores other major sources of hydrocarbons.
It ignores all of the stationary sources of hydrocarbons which
could be reduced much more simply and at much less expense than
the automobile emissions inspections.
Atlanta is a city in a forest of pine trees, which emit large
concentrations of terpenes into the air. These terpenes are responsible
for the blue haze in the smoky mountains, which is why they are
called the "smoky" mountains. At least half of the
hydrocarbons in the air in Atlanta are terpenes.
Service stations without vapor recovery systems are a much larger
source of hydrocarbons than automotive exhaust. I think that,
until every service station in the thirteen-county Metropolitan
Atlanta area has vapor recovery for the tank trucks delivering
gasoline and at the pump, the drivers of Atlanta should not be
saddled with this EPA rule. I think all the drivers in the Atlanta
area should simply refuse to comply.
No agency of the government should be allowed to impose rules
and regulations on a "regional" basis. Whatever regulations
are imposed on automobiles should be imposed universally. In
other words, if the EPA inspects anyone's automobile for emissions,
it should be required to inspect all automobiles licensed for
use, and all automobiles should be required to meet the same standards.
Sincerely,
Douglas M. Chatham
Environmental Chemist