© 2024 KUNR
Illustration of rolling hills with occasional trees and a radio tower.
Serving Northern Nevada and the Eastern Sierra
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
KUNR’s spring fund drive is happening now, and your gift to the station will go twice as far with a matching pledge from the KUNR Advisory Board!

Now is the time to act –
click here to make a gift to KUNR today or increase your sustaining membership and have it matched.

Low gas prices could hurt air quality, officials say

Gas prices are expected to remain relatively low through 2015. This could be a benefit to Nevada's economy, but the extra driving has some environmental and air quality officials worried.

Low gas prices may be leaving Nevadans with extra money in their pockets, but more driving could mean more air pollution. Will Toor with the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project says research shows that in the past few years Nevadans are driving less in favor of public transportation, bicycling and walking. Despite gas prices being low right now, Toor is hopeful that this trend will continue.

"Would encourage communities in Nevada to be really looking at focusing their transportation investments in public transit and in making walkable, bikeable communities, where's it's easy for people to meet their daily travel needs without having to get into a car."

Some groups that work on climate issues say low gas prices can also hurt the economy long-term, because demand for electric vehicles and other forms of cleaner energy goes down. That means those resources can remain underdeveloped and less affordable when gas prices go back up.

Currently, gas is selling for less than two-dollars a gallon in several states – down from this year's peak national average of three-70 per gallon back in April. 

Esther Ciammachilli is a former part-time broadcaster at KUNR Public Radio.