Regarding "Critics soften clean-air bill" (Republic, Thursday):

What a great start to the 2007 legislative session to have our Democratic governor and two leading Republican state senators come together to address Arizona's air-pollution problem. Unfortunately, the naysayers have already come calling.

State Sen. Jake Flake's position that the industries affected by air-quality regulation should be part of the discussion is fair, as long as the business community's views do not dominate the debate.

Equal weight should be given to reducing the hidden costs of unhealthy air— emergency room visits, hospitalizations, lost workdays, even premature deaths suffered by children, senior citizens and people suffering chronic respiratory disease.

State Sen. Carolyn Allen deserves applause for tackling air pollution in the spirit of bipartisanship. But with push-back already taking place on controlling dust and particulates, what will be the response when we dive deeper into cleaning up air pollution caused by motor vehicles?

Much more is at stake than losing funds to build more highways that contribute to the problem. Healthy air is fundamental to protecting our families, economy and quality of life.