Carpooling comes to Columbus

(Courtesy Clean Air Campaign)

Soaring gas prices are making carpooling an appealing option to more and more Georgians. Columbus in southwestern Georgia has limited mass transit, but is helping people cope with pain at the pump by promoting carpooling.

The Clean Air Campaign and the Air Quality Alliance of the Chattahoochee Valley offer the money-saving measure:

“There are several options available to people who would like alternative means of commuting to their job, and there are options for commuters who are currently driving alone, and would like to begin using a clean-commute alternative," according to Tracy Hall of the Columbus City Planning Department. "There are also rewards available for people who are already carpooling."

Hall says carpoolers can get a monthly gas card worth forty to sixty dollars, by logging their travel distance through a website.

Several Columbus-area companies have already signed up, TSYS among them. The Georgia Department of Transportation-funded program is available to commuters statewide.

More details are online at www.commuterrewards.com and at www.cleanaircampaign.com.

Detailed fuel prices statewide are available here.

Click here for more GPB News coverage about pollution issues statewide.

Tax credit for telecommuting

Georgia is the only state in the nation with a tax credit for companies that set up their employees to telework.
The legislature set aside 2 million dollars for company expenses when setting up employees to work from home. Expenses of up to 20 thousand dollars can qualify. Employees must work form home 12 or more days per month. Mike Haliki with the Georgia Clean Air campaign says companies that have been thinking about setting up teleworking programs should act now.

"This is available to employees throughout the entire state," he says. "Georgia is somewhat of a leader on this. There aren't tax credits such as this anywhere else in the country."

Companies have until October 31st to apply for the credit from the Georgia Departmnet of Revenue. The Clean Air Campaign will hold an informational meeting later in Atlanta on September 21st.

Tougher EPA proposed standards could challenge Georgia

Federal officials proposed tougher ozone standards Thursday. If adopted, Georgia would face an uphill climb to meet them.

The Enviromental Protection Agency has proposed that states cut ground level smog, or ozone levels, by up to 12-percent.

Kevin Green is executive director of the Clean Air Campaign. He says Georgia has no choice but to step-up and meet the challenge:

"Breathing is not optional, and air quality standards are set-up so they can be revisited. I think everybody's in favor of sound science influencing good policy decisions…and I think the process just needs to play out".

The state's Enviromental Protection Division Air Protection branch chief recently said she'd like to see more time given to the current standards.

In Georgia with tougher rules, Augusta and Columbus would be in trouble meeting air quality standards, joining metro Atlanta, Macon, and northwest areas of the state already in non-compliance.

Federal officials will public hearings over the next few months on the proposed standards. A final proposal wouldn't come until next year.