This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

If Gov. Gary Herbert wants credibility with clean-air activists he could acknowledge that the Salt Lake Valley would benefit from zero-emissions vehicles and form a government-business team to promote electric cars for daily commuting.

Making recharging available downtown would double the effective range and attractiveness of electric vehicles.

Electric car retailers could finance recharging stations at downtown parking lots. An offer of two years of free recharging for the first 1,000 cars purchased would generate interest and purchases.

A long-term approach would be for parking lots to provide free recharging. Thus, polluting cars would subsidize zero-emission vehicles. Seems appropriate.

Imagine if the governor of the most Republican state sponsored such an aggressive, ground-breaking program.

Will Finlayson

Draper