The Environmental Defense Fund Rocky Mountain Office (EDF) and one dozen other environmental organizations are calling on western Governors to support protection of western air quality.

In a recent letter, the groups asked the governors to support a dual strategy -- new clean vehicle standards and low sulfur fuel -- to reduce brown clouds and harmful air pollutants in many western cities, and to protect scenic views in national parks and wilderness areas. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently working on proposals that will determine the standards for clean vehicles and the sulfur content in fuel.

Sulfur in fuel interferes with the operation of the catalytic converters, a centerpiece of the low emitting vehicle control system. While major motor vehicle manufacturers agree that low sulfur fuel is the linchpin to effective clean vehicle technology and have petitioned EPA to adopt low sulfur fuel standards, the petroleum industry is actively lobbying for a special variance that would allow higher sulfur gasoline in the West.

Motor vehicle manufacturers have compared the emissions reductions from their low sulfur fuel proposal ?a nationwide 30 parts per million annual sulfur level ?and the substantially weaker standard advanced by the petroleum industry. The analysis indicates that western states (excluding California, which has already adopted this strategy) will realize an additional 115,256 tons of reductions in smog-forming pollutants and an additional 11,607 tons of reductions in the fine particles that threaten public health and obscure western vistas.

A consortium of state and local air pollution control officials also supports EPA adoption of low sulfur fuel. The group of officials estimates that the air quality benefits of low sulfur fuel used in low emission vehicles will be comparable to removing hundreds of thousands of cars from the road in Western cities, including 513,832 in Denver alone.

"Low sulfur fuel is a critical ingredient that will enable the next generation of clean cars and trucks to realize their potential in curbing air pollution," said Vickie Patton, an EDF attorney. "By rejecting the pressure to adopt weaker fuel standards in the West, the Governors can help clean up the brown clouds in our western cities, and protect the West's threatened blue skies and scenic vistas."

The Environmental Defense Fund, a leading national nonprofit organization, represents 300,000 members. EDF links science, economics, and law to create innovative, equitable, and economically viable solutions to today's environmental problems.