Good Example Of Governor Larry Hogan Essay

c/o Maryland State House, 100 State Cir

Annapolis, MD 21401

Dear Mr. Hogan,
I have been a resident of Maryland since I was born, and this state holds a special place in my heart. It was where I grew up to become the young adult I am now and where I started to make lifelong connections with both family and friends. Indeed, my childhood was memorable, partly due to the conduciveness of my environment to my personal growth. It cannot be denied that Maryland is a beautiful state and I always enjoyed spending time outdoors.
However, it has disappointed me that nature can no longer be enjoyed as much now as I did when I was a child. It is evident that pollution, especially air pollution, is a problem that our state now faces. According to a 2002 report by the University of Maryland, the air quality of the state consistently fails to meet the federal health standards for ground-level smog or ozone and that the Baltimore metropolitan area has the fifth worst air quality in the country for ozone. To be more precise, the Baltimore metropolitan area and nearby counties are ranked as severe nonattainment.
This is a cause for alarm not only because it gives the state a bad reputation, but most especially because of the harm it can cause on the people’s health. More specifically, it can cause nausea, headaches, and respiratory diseases. Those with respiratory problems, the elderly, and the children are especially at risk. This means that over 2 million of the state’s population is considered high-risk. Aside from these, the state is also exposed to fine particulate matter pollution, and hazardous air pollution. In fact, the EPA has ranked the Baltimore-Washington corridor the most dangerous risk for unhealthy levels of toxic air pollutant, causing both cancer and non-cancer diseases. It should also be noted that fine particulate matter pollution is a serious issue because this can be even more hazardous to one’s health compared to ozone pollution. This is because fine particulate matter can reach the deepest recesses of the lungs, accumulating in the respiratory system and causing serious health problems and even premature death.
The sources of air pollution in the state are the nitrogen oxides, the volatile organic compounds, along with the vehicles being driven by the residents of the state.
I acknowledge that the state is taking steps to address this issue. For instance, I know that the state has developed State Implementation Plans to meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. Moreover, MDE has improved its monitoring network and air toxics analysis as a response to EPA’s national air toxics initiative.
However, although these steps are appreciated and applauded, I think that your good office can do more to address this problem. For example, it may be good to offer incentives such as tax cuts to people who use environment-friendly vehicles. People are not likely to stop buying and using their cars, so the solution may not be to ban the use of cars but to promote the use of environment-friendly cars. In addition, the local government should try to improve the public transportation system by making it more convenient and accessible, so that fewer people would feel the need to buy and use their own cars. As well, the government should launch a campaign to promote the use of bicycles as a form of transportation.
The local government can also launch a campaign that will encourage people to help in the reduction and prevention of air pollution in the state. For example, there should be symposia or seminars held about air pollution, its effects, and its causes. This would enable people to become aware of them. This may also urge them to help the government in its initiatives and would at least make them support the said initiatives. In addition, the state can promote and encourage the growing of gardens in people’s yards, which will not only help clean the air, but will also provide people with their own source of organic produce. As well, the state should invest on research for renewable energy sources, which can further help reduce air pollution.
I am with the belief that despite the comprehensiveness and the soundness of the state government’s initiatives with regards to addressing the problem of air pollution, if the people will not be made active members of such initiatives, then the government’s goals may not be as easily achieved. In this regard, I strongly recommend that the government become more ardent in involving the people in the solution of this problem.
I’d like to thank you for taking the time to hear my concerns. I trust that your government will always look after the state’s best interest and that we are on our way to the resoluton of this problem.