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Fairbanks air quality plan approval EPA now proposes acceptance of Alaska's latest plan for addressing continuing significant air pollution in the Fairbanks region Alan Bailey for Petroleum News
The Environmental Protection Agency has announced that it proposes to approve Alaska's latest plan for addressing air pollution problems in the Fairbanks-North Star Borough. The agency is going to open a 30-day public comment period on its proposed rulemaking, with a view to finalizing federal action on the state's plan this year.
The Fairbanks region suffers from severe air quality issues, in particular because of the widespread use of wood burning stoves and oil burning furnaces to heat houses. Pollution also results from coal and oil-fired power generation, and from vehicle exhaust. Winter thermal inversions tend to trap cold air, holding pollutants close to ground level, thus causing people to inhale polluted air.
Several years of negotiations Over several years the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation has been negotiating with EPA to try to reach an agreement for a protocol that would adequately address efforts to meet federal air quality requirements in the region.
"After nearly 14 years, I am pleased to have a plan that puts the FNSB on the path to meeting federal air quality standards," said Casey Sixkiller, regional administrator of EPA's Region 10 office. "As a result, EPA is also announcing that we have begun the process of removing any temporary restrictions on federal funding required by law. While today is a day to celebrate, it is important to underscore that the work is not yet done -- once EPA formally approves this plan, it will be up to residents to ensure it succeeds."
EPA says that current restrictions on federal funding as a result of unacceptable air pollution include a freeze on funding for new transportation projects and restrictions on the construction or modification of any large source of pollution without counterbalancing emissions reductions.
Collaborative modeling Collaborative pollution modeling work by EPA and ADEC has determined that residential home heating is the biggest source of air pollution in the Fairbanks region, EPA says. Alaska's latest plan to reduce wood burning and reduce the use of high sulfur fuel oil includes the enforcement of stricter dry wood requirements for wood burning stoves, the implementation of tighter emission restrictions for coal stoves and the need for permits for emissions from power plants. A home energy audit and energy rating report are now needed when a home is for sale.
"The collaboration with partners in the community, EPA, and Region 10 over the past two years has been instrumental in developing a robust model to better understand the formation of PM2.5 in the area," said Jason Olds, ADEC air quality director, with reference to the primary air pollutant. "The results have underscored the importance of addressing residential home heating, which remains the most significant source of PM2.5 pollution in the area."
Not mentioned in the EPA news release are efforts by Fairbanks based Interior Gas Utility to supply cost competitive natural gas and thus encourage the use of clean natural gas for heating buildings.
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