There is serious doubt by state government officials that the muncipalities along the Wasatch Front and Cache Valley will comply with new Federal air quality standards designed to reduce particulate matter.  The new standard is designed to reduce this very small particulate matter, originating mostly from cars, from 65 micrograms to 35 micrograms in a 24 hour period.  If by April 2011 the state is unable to achieve this standard they will lose federal highway money.  The particulate matter is a public health threat because it can lodge in people’s lungs due to its small size, but can cause serious human health threats.  Its possible that a forced reduction in transportation use could be instituted during winter inversions when exceedences of this new standard would be common.  Being that Salt Lake City and Logan suffer every year from serious air quality problems due to winter inversions serious action must be taken now.  State instituted economic incentives to encourage fuel efficient vehicles, wider availability of bio-fuels, or incentives to convert engines so that they are capable of using this type of fuel may be necessary.   Creativity is essential to achieve these standards not just to enable procurement of federal highway money, but to save lives.