Pima Supes should OK gas pump vapor systems

Vapor recovery systems help reduce pollution and should be approved, but it is essential that we all drive less and buy less gasoline.

TUCSON -- After many years of hard work from many agencies and individuals, we are very close to getting safer gas pumps in Pima County.

Tomorrow the Pima County Board of Supervisors will vote on whether to require local gas stations to make use of "Stage II Vapor Recovery Systems," which prevent the release of toxic vapors into the ambient air. More information about Stage II.

These safer gas pumps will reduce smog levels in Tucson. The hydrocarbons in gasoline vapors react in the air to form ground level ozone, a principle component of smog. Vapor recovery pumps are in use in Phoenix, California, the East Coast, and anywhere with poor air quality.

Gasoline vapors contain harmful substances like benzene, a Group A carcinogen known to cause leukemia. The gasoline odor you smell while fueling is harming your health and our air.

To defeat the BS claims from oil/gas station lobbyists and some bureaucrats, please contact the Board of Supervisors at 740.8126 and ask them to support the resolution requiring Stage II Vapor Recovery Systems. It's the right thing to do.