From Smoke-Filled Skies to Smoke-Filled Rooms: Louisville’s Political Battles Over the “Smoke Evil”

lf-, j i 4 S From SmokeFilled Skies to SmokeFilled Rooms Louis, uille' s Political Battles Over the " Smoke E' oil" S'arah lynn Cunningliam,PE W ful:streetslaidoutatrightangles,andplantedivkh-\' c,zingtrees. riting about his exploratory ride through town in 1842, Charles Dickens describeti Louisville,Kentucky,as regular ; ind cheerYet Dickens alsociliscrved that Louisville' s buildings were ' smoky and blackci ,cd, fioin t12e use of bitutiiinc) us co,i]," addhig tliat, " an Englishman is well Lised to that appearance, und indisposed to quarrel with it." 1 1.(, uisvilli: ins have fought longrunning battles over smoke. ' Ilic city's concentration of hean· industries and its role as a transportation liubspawned by its locaticin on the Ohio River and between nvo ccial fieldsfliziled its atmosphere. As residents came to understand the health and cconoinic costs (, ftlic wt)rse n i11, 4 palls and called for reform, they sp· arked decades of debate and political maneuvering. llic contlicts initiall,· arose over coal sinoke, were gre· atiy exacerbated hi· Wi, rld \ Var ] I-era chemical 111: uits,1,17£ 1 continued through tlle still unflilding implementation of-the federal Clein Air Act. 370 Vhc outic)nics of tliese b,zttles ivere drii'en less by lij!: n. technological innovatic, n than bv the economic, p,i, political , und persuasive powers of-the competing pli·ticipalits: c* o,il de,ilers, indtistria] lead- Sniokeoverdowntown Louisville, ers, engincers, and tr· dde associations on the (ine Noveniber 1943. IHF FlisoN Firfic,nlt. AL 50 ups were politicians, civil servatits , and iiews17,21) er editors. Speciwil interests iicarly always ti·uinlicd plrblie interestsat least until tlic feiler:11 government iniposed sul, crior leg: 11 authorit\: LEFT:View of The nation' s first thctores were iv., terpoivered mills t|1,it C(, ll|d be 1(, cited Fourth Street, downtown lt unly J li niited n1111ber of 1-iverside sites th·,it niet certaj n reqztircinents. 71c Louisville, river had to offer both sufficient t: all : ind reliable vearround fl redicting that coal interests would renew boi'cott tlire·, its, I I, irr\' W. Sch, Ictcr of-the Retail Merchatits'Associntkin ·, ingrily declared that it,inemhers " lcisc tens of-tliousaiicis (, f dollars hecallic of smoke. \ Ve h., ve R ,· ight to protest, . ind ive do protest. Representing the coal institute, C. P· aul 11„ vnard called the sud den demandfi , r a Louisville ordinance " unwarranted.He asserted that the St. Louis law was not nearly as effective as believed, and accuscil the 02/* i-Journ ,d of" reckless : tbandon." Down;ird el· aimed that the existing all embracing" c, rdinance would suffice i f fully enforced, and demanded that the proposed law bc " discussed strictly on its merits." IIc dcniccl the existence of such , 1 thing : is " snic, keless fitel," and argued that tlic Courierwn -naR estintates of the u, sts t antliracite were t()(, 1(> W. ' lhe Co" rierJournal responded with : i terse editorial,accusing 1)( nviiard of " speakl ing] fur,1 tiny group of men who fear tbey migbt lose i / in/,' mon, V if Louisville 56 01[ IO \' A[.LEY HIS- 1- 0113 5,\ R.\ 1! 1. YNN Cl] NNING] l.\ M SPRING 2008 cleaned up its smoking chimneys." In contrast,Schacter ot the merchants' association represented " a very large group who know that they lose tbous, int/ s 1ccause ], oujsville has mot cleaned up its sin femitted air pollutants.an analysis oftlicir sources. a map of their contamination zone, and an assessment of their effects on West End residents and property . The study's backers also hoped it would yield recommendations for solving l.ouisviile s air pollution problems and, reflecting persistent misunderstandings of discase ctiology,a bacterial count of Louisville air. Local government provided most of the funding and thirteen fitlltime : ind seven parttime staff. Ihe PIIS contributed one hu,idred and fifty thousand dollars per year;the Chamber of Commerce made a ( metime contribution of seventy thous· and. At the same time, the APCI) board tabled newly proposed rules on dust from industri·: 11 processes, after Chamber ofCoinnierce members decried them as an unbearablv expensive " calamitv"that would have " forced entire industries to leave Louisville."' N Although the MOA called for the employment...