Is Car Exhaust The Only Real Problem Here?

Any of us who have flown into Los Angeles, Phoenix, or any other large city with large numbers of vehicles on the road, we know what the dirty are looks like.  We also know that much of this is pollutants from cars on the road. 

Currently there's over 247 vehicles on the roads in the United States so it is no wonder that the smog continues to be an issue.  Of those, about 133,000 are electric capable.  That may sound like a good start, but do we take into consideration the pollutants produced in making the electric to run these cars? 

This is such a vicious circle.  One depressing thought to me was the lack of information on numbers
of vehicles that could run, even short distances, on solar panels.  I will continue to do research on this subject and share what I find, when I find some solid information.  After all, if you can run a boat on panels, so could you a small vehicle.  Right?


By now you probably think that what is bothering me is the pollution caused by vehicles or the lack of solar powered cars.  But that isn't what got me started.  Just some of what bothers me, often. What I am having an issue with is something I saw on the news last week.  The issue - underground fuel storage tanks.

  
I live in Arizona, a state with plenty of sunshine to support solar energy.  In a recent state audit it was revealed that more than half of the almost 4,000 tanks are reaching or have passed their 30 year life expectancy.  The audit, performed by the Arizona Auditor General's Office, reported that 901 underground fuel storage tanks are older than 30 years old and another 2,935 are between 20 and 30 years old.  All of these tanks are at risk of leaking gasoline, diesel fuel and other chemicals into the soil and ground water.  A spokes person from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality stated that they are aware of this situation and are taking it very seriously.   I do sort of wonder just what that means.  I would be willing to be that everyone in that department, and anyone who has access to this information, has checked to make sure that the possible leaking tanks are not effecting their personal water source. 

This isn't meant to be a bitch session towards any government agency but it is meant to bring to the attention of anyone who is interested the fact that this entire problem goes right back to the beginning of this post. 

Fact - as of July of 2013, the average age of the 247 vehicles on the road is 11.4 years old.  There has been a slow increase over the past several year.  Partially due to the economy but also because more houses are adding more vehicles to the family,  vehicles are lasting longer and many people are financing cars for as many as 72 months.  And let's not forget the collectors of the good old, sturdy and just plain neat cars.  More cars and older cars results in the pollution. 

Another fact - utilizing the sun, when and where it is possible, would greatly aid in the pollution issue and the need for rusting, leaking fuel storage tanks. 

Imagine for just a moment - how fun would it be to pull up to a gas station to find people washing their windows and wiping off their solar panels, instead of standing there pumping a dozen gallons of fuel into their car?