Air Quality Board Aims to Clear the Air

 

After decades of improving Utah’s air to meet federal standards, the Air Quality Board is now faced with a new challenge: Federal standards for particle air pollution just got a whole lot tougher, and that could mean the entire Wasatch Front and Cache Valley will soon be out of compliance with parts of the Clean Air Act.

“I take the long-term view,” said Ernest Wessman, an Air Quality Board member since 2001 who recently retired as vice president of resource development and environment for PacifiCorp. “I look back at the 1970s and how difficult it looked for regulators and industry to be able to implement the tough air quality standards that were imposed on them at that time. The result, however, is that the air is much cleaner than it has been in a long time. We now need to do more, even if we may not know how we’ll get it done. But I don’t feel hopeless. This is just the next stage of an ongoing process to achieve an even better air quality.”

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposes sweeping revisions to the regulations for particulate matter – those microscopic specks between 2.5 and 10 microns in diameter or smaller that can become lodged in people’s lungs. The EPA proposal, expected to be finalized by September 2006, would retain the annual PM 2.5 standard of 15 micrograms per cubic meter (ug/m3), but the 24-hour standard would be lowered from the current standard of 65 ug/m3 to 35 ug/m3. That means if an area, such as Salt Lake County, has days that exceed that standard in any three-year stretch, it then comes under federal scrutiny and the Division of Air Quality (DAQ) must come up with a plan to curb the pollution.

“At this new level it is likely that Salt Lake, Davis, Utah, Weber, Cache and Box Elder counties would all be in non-compliance with the federal health standard for PM 2.5,” said Rick Sprott, director of the DAQ. “That means the state would have to prepare comprehensive plans to meet the standards in those areas by the year 2015.”

DAQ will explore the most effective way to reduce the pollution, which is primarily caused by automobiles, and it will provide the Board with input and recommendations. Ultimately, the decision will rest with the 11-member Board, which is the primary air quality policymaker for the state of Utah.

“This is something we need to get our arms around and develop a plan,” said Don Sorensen of Tesoro, who was appointed last year to represent the fuels industry. “It is our responsibility to follow EPA’s guidelines, as set out in the Clean Air Act. We need to take a look at where we are and where we need to go and understand the alternatives.”

Part of Utah’s problem is its topography. For example, the bowl shape of the Cache Valley contributes to severe winter pollution when inversions keep cold air next to the valley floor, trapping particulate matter. This area’s unique pollution problem will make it even tougher to comply with new EPA standards.

“It may be difficult to meet the new regulations but we have to continually make progress,” said Nan Bunker, an alfalfa grower from Delta appointed last year to represent the agriculture industry. “We do have a different situation here in Utah than other parts of the country. So our approach may be different. But instead of telling EPA we can’t meet the new regulations, we will work cooperatively with the federal government to come up with the best solution for Utah.”

Like the other advisory Boards representing the Department of Environmental Quality, the Air Quality Board is highly diverse. Its members represent various interests and professions across the state. They are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate. The Utah Air Conservation Act also requires that the Board members be knowledgeable about air pollution matters and empowers them to enact rules pertaining to Air Quality activities and develop State Implementation Plans to attain and maintain National Ambient Air Quality Standards under the Clean Air Act.

Despite the diverse nature of the Board, Bunker says they all have one common goal in mind: “We all want to make sure the air is clean.”

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