Businesses in Charlotte, NC are about to be held to new regulations meant to reduce air pollution by reducing commuter miles. In his article We don't need proposed new rules on ozone (Charlotte Observer, Sep. 09, 2004), Mick Mulvaney describes the issue at hand:

"The proposed rules would require all businesses with 20 or more employees to come up with a plan to reduce commuter miles by 25 percent during anticipated "bad" ozone days. Possible schemes include requiring employees to take public transportation, mandating telecommuting or just making people stay home." (my emphasis added)

Mulvaney enumerates many concerns with the rules as written, including the lack of funding for implementation or enforcement, but the biggest issue is that it simply won't do enough, based on estimates from the N.C. Division of Air Quality. Mulvaney goes as far as to say that rules are not needed at all, that voluntary efforts to reduce air pollution are enough. Just education people on how they can do their part, for example, by filling your gas tank after dusk instead of during the day.

Mulvaney may have convinced me that the proposed regulations are poorly written, but relying on voluntary efforts is definitely not enough.

3:01:27 PM