Citizen's Forum: Reno needs to fix its air pollution problem
Reno needs to stop allowing people to burn both garbage, and wood in backyards, and fireplaces.
Reno needs to stop the willy-nilly mass cutting down of trees (trees filter toxins and grant oxygen), shrubs, and grasses by heavy machinery to suit greedy over-development.
According to the American Lung Association, Reno, 2024, ranks in the top 25 Most Polluted Cities in the country. We didn’t just make one list, we made all three.
Ozone Pollution, we rank #19
Year Round Particle Pollution, we rank #18
Short-Term Particle Pollution, we rank #6
Reno (and Las Vegas) are the fastest warming cities in the country due our rapid over-development.
This is egregious, and has huge health, and environmental implications.
On any given winter’s day, Reno's inversion layer is a toxic wet blanket atop the basin.
(Calls to mind the 1930-1940 Dust Bowl period that ravaged American and Canadian prairies due to poor soil conservation practices, leading to a longtime drought).
This city needs to stand down, stop growing at such a reckless pace, take care of its people, and fix its problems.
Years ago the city of Reno, and paid PR people began a "Reno is The Best Place To Live" campaign.
They wooed journalists from across the country to visit The Biggest Little City and write stories about how people should move here (kiss of death, for sure).
Much to their credit, the journalists sang our praises in print, online, and on social media.
Problem was, and is, the city did not nothing to prepare for the onslaught of people they begged to come.
Nothing.
(Think hosting the Olympics, the years and years of preparation, and infrastructure put in to place prior to the games. Prior to the people arriving. You don’t host an Olympic Games and make plans after the people arrive.)
Among so many other things that have suffered in Reno as a result of poor planning (traffic, roads, services, cost of living, etc.) is air quality.
As I write (Monday, January 28, 2025), the city says there is an upswing in serious respiratory viruses and illnesses.
Due to the existing unsafe (but tolerated) dirty air inversion layer, LA wildfire smoke, and wood burning fireplace smoke...is there any surprise as to why this is?
When your sky is full of wildfire smoke, and pollution…when you are the fastest warming city in the country, rank as one of THE most polluted cities in the country (on all three criteria lists), AND you have an uptick in serious respiratory illnesses... people should not be allowed to burn garbage or use wood fireplaces.
Last week you were unable to see the mountains across the valley due the smoke and sick (yes, sick) haze.
However, the people with wood burning stoves were burning 24/7. Note attached photos of homes off McCarran and Skyline Blvd.
This is reckless, foolhardy, and someone needs to be held accountable.
