ORCAA NEWS: Stage 1 Burn Ban Called for Thurston County
January 16, 2009
A Stage One Burn Ban is being called for Thurston county, effective 1 p.m. today and continuing at least until Tuesday morning (Jan. 20, 2009), with a possibility of raising this to a Stage 2 ban on Saturday.
Under a Stage 1 Ban, no burning is allowed in fireplaces or uncertified wood stoves, and all outdoor burning is prohibited, even in areas where outdoor burning is not permanently banned. Additionally, no visible smoke is allowed from any wood stove or fireplace, certified or not, beyond a 20-minute start-up period. If we go to Stage 2, use of any wood-burning appliance – including certified wood and pellets stoves – will be prohibited.
A system of stable, high pressure over Western Washington, coupled with cold overnight temperatures has resulted in air pollution levels climbing enough to raise concerns about the air quality and its impacts on health. A change in weather will be needed to restore cleaner air quality, yet that’s not forecast to occur until sometime next week.
While pollution levels in Thurston County warrants the Stage One Ban, other counties within the jurisdiction of the Olympic Region Clean Air Agency (ORCAA) haven’t reached that level. To avoid bans in their areas, the residents of Mason, Pacific, Grays Harbor, Clallam and Jefferson Counties are asked to voluntarily refrain from all outdoor burning, and to use safe alternatives to wood heat if possible.
Of particular concern are fine particles released by smoke from wood stoves and fireplaces. The Washington State Department of Health recommends that people who are sensitive to air pollution limit time spent outdoors. Air pollution can trigger asthma attacks, cause difficulty breathing, and make lung and heart problems worse. Air pollution is especially harmful to children, people with heart and lung problems, and adults over age 65.
Olympic Region Clean Air Agency staff will continue to monitor the situation to determine when the burn ban can be lifted. In the meantime, here are some other things people can do to help protect the air we breathe:
- If you have a certified wood stove or fireplace insert, make sure you are using it properly so you don’t produce excess chimney smoke. Excess smoke is always illegal. To learn more about clean burning techniques or upgrading to a certified, pellet, natural gas or propane stove, visit www.burningclean.com
- To determine if your stove is certified, visit http://orcaa.org/programs/woodstoves.php.
- Limit your driving as much as possible, since vehicles are a big source of air pollution year round. Check air-quality forecasts and current conditions at www.orcaa.org. The current and forecasted air-quality conditions are available via the links on the right.
For more information about Burn Ban regulations, you may refer to Chapter 173-433 of the Washington Administrative Code.
Appeals Court Upholds Clean Air Regulations
December 23, 2008
The U.S. Court of Appeals for Washington D.C. issued a ruling that Environmental Protection Agency regulators are not allowed to exempt refiners, chemical plants and manufacturers from pollution limits when starting, shutting or during the malfunction of equipment.
The ruling was a result of a brought by the Serra Club that challenged the Bush administration's regulatory rule that exempted those facilities from clean air laws during non-standard events such as startup, shutdown, and malfunctions.
Under the new ruling, those facilities have to abide by clean air laws at all times or face significant fines and penalties.
EPA Backs Away From Proposals to Alter Air-Pollution Rules
December 11, 2008
In a move that surprised, but pleased, environmental and outdoor recreation groups, the Environmental Protection Agency reversed course on plans that could have negatively affected national parks.
Just last month, EPA officials unveiled long-developed plans to ease air pollution regulations to allow coal-fired power-generating plants to be built and operated near National Parks. They also backed off on another rule change that would have eased regulations concerning installation of air pollution control devices on some of those power plants.
Electric Vehicles Surging Forward
December 2, 2008
From motorcycles to Army trucks, electric vehicles are gaining ground on their gas-guzzling cousins.
A new electric motorcycle, built by Oregon-based Brammo Motorsports, hits the streets early next year in limited numbers. The street-legal motorcycle tops out at 50 miles per hour, and travels up to 45 miles on a single charge. This could be an ideal way to get around town with little maintenance and operation costs. The first wave of bikes, to be delivered during the first quarter of 2009, will sell for $14,000. If you can wait a few months, Second Quarter deliveries will cost just $11,000. Visit http://www.brammo.com/ for more information.
If 50mph just isn't zippy enough for you, a British Company – Agni Lynch – recently unveiled their TTX01 Superbike. This model is only available in limited production, but the bike is street legal – though not all its characteristics are designed for legal operation. The TTX01 can do 0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds and reach a top speed of 125 mph. More details here.
Even as those electric motorcycles start zipping around town, U.S. Army soldiers will be buzzing around in a new fleet of electric cars and trucks.
The U.S. Army has signed a lease to expand their on-base fleets of Electric Neighborhood Vehicles. The Army will deploy more than 800 Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEVs) on its bases around the country in 2009, and more than 10,000 nationwide in the next three to five years. Fort Lewis currently has 24 Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEVs) for on-base travel. More.
Air Pollution Standards Changed to Better Protect Health
November 24, 2008
More Burn Bans Could be Called
The start of the Holiday Season typically brings the start of the burn ban season around Western Washington – especially near Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
The need to restrict burning occurs as autumn weather patterns create more temperature inversions (warm air sitting atop a "pillow" of cooler air near the ground). This leads to air stagnation, meaning any pollution we create stays in the air around us. Unfortunately, this condition occurs frequently in the late autumn and winter as temperatures drop, prompting people to use their woodstoves and fireplaces more.
As a result of those factors, Olympic Region Clean Air Agency, and other regional air agencies, have periodically called burn bans when air pollutions levels climb to unhealthful levels. This year ORCAA expects to have burn restrictions since the Washington State Legislature lowered the air-quality trigger for calling a burn ban to align with new, more stringent federal standards.
In late 2006, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) tightened the 24-hour health standard for fine particle pollution, also known as PM2.5, in order to better protect public health. Breathing in PM2.5 pollution – the primary component in wood smoke – creates serious health effects. The tiny size of these pollutants allows them to be easily inhaled, bypassing the immune system and proceeding deep into the lungs, where they can cause respiratory and cardiovascular problems, including premature death. MORE
EPA Could Lift Air Pollution Standards Near National Parks
November 18, 2008
A debate rages within the ranks of the Environmental Protection Agency concerning air pollution standards near National Parks.
An agency proposal to change air monitoring standards around National Parks from a rolling 24-hour standard to an annual standard is opposed by the majority of the administrators of the EPA's 10 geographic regions, according to reports from several news agencies.
The proposal would change the practice of measuring pollution levels near national parks, which is currently done over three-hour and 24-hour increments to capture emission spikes during periods of peak energy demand; instead, the levels would be averaged over a year. Under this system, spikes in pollution would no longer violate the law.
Read the full story in the Washington Post HERE.
============================================================