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CLEAN AIR MATTERS

Spring 2004 Edition

In this issue:

 

Puget Sound region escapes latest EPA dirty-air list

We didn’t make the list. And that’s a good thing.

We’re one of the few major metropolitan areas in the country that meets all federal air quality standards because of the hard work businesses, citizens and organizations have done in the past. And that was reaffirmed April 15, when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released its list of areas not in compliance with the latest ozone health standard.

While it’s good news that we meet the new federal standard, we still come close to exceeding it every summer.

The ozone standard targets ground-level ozone, the primary component of smog. Ozone forms when summertime sunlight “cooks” emissions from gasoline-fueled motor vehicles, yard equipment and watercraft, and fumes from paints, solvents and evaporated gasoline.

Three efforts are helping ensure we don’t exceed the standard. First, major gasoline producers here have voluntarily produced low-evaporation gasoline during the summer since 1999. This has reduced ozone-producing ingredients by 5 to 10 percent, or up to 15 tons a day.

Second, businesses, governments and individuals have responded when we issue a Smog Watch — a voluntary call-to-action asking people to reduce smog-producing activities when we forecast a rise in air pollution to unhealthy levels. To get an e-mail notice about Smog Watches, sign up for the Clean Air Network at our Web site: www.pscleanair.org.

Third, we are learning to “Drive Clean.” See a related article for ways businesses, organizations and individuals can help reduce ozone, other air pollutants and global-warming emissions.  Also, read the interview with Executive Director Dennis McLerran: “Why I tell everyone — colleagues, elected officials, strangers — about my 2004 Toyota hybrid.”

Click here to go to the top of this page

 

Rules for burning land-clearing debris under review

In the summer, smoke from outdoor fires causes half of this region’s toxic fine-particle pollution. One step to healthier air would be an expansion of areas where the Clean Air Agency prohibits burning land-clearing debris.

We now prohibit outdoor fires, including land-clearing fires, in the urbanized areas of King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish counties. State law (WAC 173-425) requires us to prohibit fires in additional areas if the following criteria are met:

  • Alternatives to burning — such as facilities that process trees, bushes and vegetation into mulch or hog fuel — must be available.
  • Those facilities must be a reasonable distance from the proposed no-burning areas.
  • Their fees must be lower than the statewide median cost per ton for municipal garbage disposal.

At the request of our Board of Directors, Air Resources staff are researching current land-clearing activities and fees charged by chipping/composting facilities.

If the fees are below the statewide median tipping fee for municipal solid waste, staff will work with a stakeholders group to produce a regulation expanding the boundaries. Stakeholders will include representatives from developers, construction companies, county solid waste agencies and fire departments.

We will present any proposed boundary changes to the Board of Directors by December 2004.

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Innovative car-sharing program reduces agency motor-pool costs

It seemed a brash step at the time. What, get rid of our four pool vehicles? Switch to a car-sharing program initially designed for individuals?

It turns out that in just one year, the Clean Air Agency reduced its motor-pool costs by 62 percent by selling four pool cars and joining Flexcar. More than 100 other businesses and organizations in this region also have found that Flexcar saves money.

“In fact, our corporate revenue now accounts for about one-third of our revenue. In the long term, we expect it to surpass revenue from individual customers,” said Brett Allen, Flexcar’s Seattle general manager. Corporate accounts range from Starbucks and CH2M Hill to the Woodland Park Zoo Society, the American Lung Association of Washington and Greenwood Senior Services.

The Clean Air Agency office is located in downtown Seattle. Our employees can reserve and drive any of 18 environmentally friendly cars — including gasoline-electric hybrids — located within several blocks of the office. In a sense, we’ve quadrupled our pool while reducing costs. The agency pays just for the time the vehicles are used.

Analysis by our finance office shows that we are now paying an average of $800 per month for Flexcar instead of $2,500 per month for purchasing, operating and maintaining four pool cars and purchasing expensive downtown parking spaces. In addition, an administrative assistant no longer spends a significant portion of her time in the “care and feeding” of a motor pool.

For more information about Flexcar, visit flexcar.com or call (206) 323-3539.

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“The Amazing White-Handkerchief Test” proves effectiveness of Clean School Bus Program

Rep. Ed Murray (right) and Sen. Jim Horn performed “The Amazing White-Handkerchief Test” during a news conference Jan. 19 in Olympia to show how clean Washington’s school buses can become.

Under the Washington State Clean School Bus Program, funded by the legislature, newer school buses like this one will be retrofitted with diesel particulate filters. These filters require ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel and capture 90 to 95 percent of harmful fine particles.

Right now, older, more-polluting buses that can’t use the filters are being retrofitted with diesel oxydation catalysts, which reduce emissions by 30 percent, or up to 50 percent with the cleaner fuel.

Bainbridge Island, Bellevue, Bremerton, Issaquah and Seattle school districts have retrofitted 131 school buses with catalysts. Other districts have projects or applications in the pipeline, and the number of completed retrofits grows every week.

Our goal is to have 600 retrofitted buses operating by fall in King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish counties.Click here to go to the top of this page

 

 

 

Driving clean and green: It protects our air and our climate

It’s a conundrum. Even though vehicle tailpipes emit unhealthy air pollution, even though our region continues to grow, even though our mission is to protect and improve air quality — the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency can’t directly regulate cars, SUVs, vans and trucks.

Yet, we don’t just shrug our shoulders.

We’ve been taking another tack: increasing our emphasis on education and informationl about “driving issues.” We encourage people to take positive steps to protect the air and put the brakes on air pollution and climate change:

  • Buy clean, green vehicles.
  • Drive less.
  • Use public transit and rideshare programs more.
  • Idle less.
  • Maintain vehicles.

We also encourage fleet managers for businesses, industries, local governments and schools to take similar steps to purchase low-emission, fuel-efficient vehicles, consider alternative fuels such as compressed natural gas and discourage engine idling.

All businesses and organizations can protect air quality and slow climate change by encouraging employees to rideshare, work from home or use public transit as alternatives to single-occupancy commuting.

Here are the key messages we send to individuals and businesses:

Choosing “clean, green” vehicles = cleaner air

The Clean Air Agency recommends that you buy a vehicle with the lowest emissions and best fuel economy that will meet your needs.

Low emissions protect the air from toxic, unhealthy pollutants. Good fuel economy protects the earth’s climate and saves you money. In our region, transportation emissions are responsible for over 50 percent of climate-changing carbon dioxide, a primary greenhouse gas.

Here are three Web sites that offer useful information when you are thinking of buying a new or used vehicle:

Driving less = cleaner air

Here are five ways to reduce your need to drive:

  • Combine errands into one trip and plan your route, so you limit driving time and distance.
  • Join Flexcar, a car-sharing program. See related article in this issue.
  • Commute by bus, train, carpool, vanpool, walking or bicycle.
  • Telework.
  • Switch to a flexible work schedule, such as working four instead of five days a week.

Driving smarter = cleaner air

  • Idling burns extra gasoline. Idling for longer than 30 seconds actually burns more fuel than turning off and restarting your engine. Also, don't idle your car to warm it up; just drive gently until the engine is warm.
  • Maintain a steady speed. Accelerate and decelerate smoothly. Use cruise control on highways. Avoid revving the engine. Stay within the legal speed limit.
  • Clear out the trunk. For every 50 pounds of junk you lug around, you lose about ¼ mile per gallon.
  • Remove the rooftop cargo carrier when you don’t need it, to decrease drag and fuel consumption.

Maintaining your vehicle = cleaner air

Regular vehicle maintenance reduces fuel usage. Keeping tires properly inflated decreases drag and fuel consumption. Getting a diagnosis right away when the “Check Engine” light goes on reduces pollution and saves fuel. Replacing a lost gas cap reduces pollution by preventing fuel evaporation.

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Award-winning French roast yields insights into emissions from coffee roasting

By Melissa McAfee and Agata McIntyre

As you well know, Northwesterners love coffee. Not surprisingly, we've seen an amazing increase in the coffee roasting industry in the Puget Sound region.

One success story, Java Trading, began with a single roaster in 1992. It has grown to a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week nine-roaster operation in the Renton Valley. More roasters are planned.

Java Trading does more than offer award-winning gourmet coffee to connoisseurs in this country, Asia and the United Kingdom. It also is helping us learn about “java emissions.”

When any coffee-roasting company asks for an air quality permit, agency engineer Agata McIntyre evaluates the impacts of smoke, odors and pollutants on the surrounding communities. Good emissions data is necessary to perform the best analysis.

One challenge she has faced is that our coffee-roaster data is old and mostly irrelevant.

So Java Trading agreed to help us improve our knowledge about what comes out an “afterburner” — the most common emissions-control equipment used by roasting companies.

McIntyre and agency inspector Melissa McAfee worked with Java Trading and a testing company to plan a test for exotic pollutant emissions common to coffee roasters: formaldehyde, acrolein and acetaldehyde. These compounds are the most likely to have toxic impacts. Yet they are also the most difficult and most expensive pollutants to measure accurately.

Emissions samples were taken in September 2003 while Java Trading produced French roast coffee. Specialized laboratories in California analyzed the test samples.

These accurate emissions tests will enable us to more fully understand air emissions for this growing industry in our region. We applaud the innovative efforts of Java Trading to helping us further our understanding of coffee roaster emissions. Click here to go to the top of this page

 

 

Meet our Advisory Council: Derrick Crawley

Derrick Crawley: “It’s all about education and customer service”

By Mike Schultz

This is the third in a series featuring members of our agency’s Advisory Council.

In 2000, Kitsap County Fire Marshal Derrick Crawley knew that the responsibilities of fire regulators were changing. He recognized that environmental stewardship, including clean air, had become part of the fire regulator’s mission.

So he became an instrumental contributor to the successful campaign to end outdoor burning in urbanized Kitsap County after Jan. 1, 2001. He was a committed and strong leader as he brought fire officials throughout the county on board.

Regarding his role on the Advisory Council, Crawley said that “it’s all about education and customer service. I use what I learn to provide better customer service, particularly for those looking for permits to build new businesses.”

His contributions to the group are appreciated. “He’s become an agenda item all by himself,” Advisory Council Chair David Nemens said playfully. “At our meetings, I don’t even ask for ‘councilmember reports’ any more; I just say ‘Derrick?’ He always has a report about outdoor burning issues.”

So, what is a fire marshal? It’s different than fire fighting, Crawley explained. “Fire marshals enforce fire codes by reviewing construction plans, inspecting construction sites and inspecting existing businesses. And we also investigate the cause and origin of fires. We determine if the fire was intentionally set or if the cause was related to an improper code application or the lack of an appropriate safety standard.”

Why did Crawley become a fire marshal? It wasn’t planned.

“I was just a kid out of high school, born and raised on the south side of Chicago. It was 1976. I wanted more education, but I needed money. I had this great idea — enlist in the military and use the G.I. bill for college. I scored high on the Marines’ exams. I thought I was a smart guy. I enlisted. They made me a machine gunner — I wasn’t as smart as I thought. At least the Viet Nam War was over."

After being discharged, he found his way to the fire department for the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. “I thought life couldn’t get any better. I loved the camaraderie, teamwork and physical activity. However, the shift work didn’t allow me to go back to school. After 10 years, I made education a priority, found a job with the Kitsap County Fire Marshal’s Office as an inspector and went to school in the evenings. I got my degree in 1994, and I was promoted to Fire Marshal in 1998.

“It’s been a great ride.”Click here to go to the top of this page

 

 

Clean Air Corner - Tips for businesses

You must check for asbestos before you renovate or demolish a structure.

This applies to universities, cities, schools, counties, not-for-profit organizations, large industries, small businesses, homeowners — everyone.

You must follow specific rules to protect public health. Check under Asbestos on our Web site or give us a call for detailed information. Here is a summary of “action items.”

Renovation/remodeling

a) Arrange for an asbestos survey. Test anything that might have asbestos.
b) If asbestos-containing material is found and will be removed, submit a form and fee (there are some exceptions).
c) Arrange for proper removal of asbestos-containing materials.

Demolition

If the structure is larger than 120 square feet:
a) Arrange for an asbestos survey. Test anything that might have asbestos.
b) Submit a form and fee.
c) Arrange for proper removal of asbestos-containing materials before demolition.

Allow time for the survey and testing. Forms and fees must be submitted at least 10 days before renovation or demolition begins.

 

About the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency

The mission of the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency is to ensure that people in King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish counties have clean, healthy air to breathe. Our job is to provide air quality management services on behalf of cities and counties for their citizens. We do this by adopting and enforcing air quality regulations, sponsoring voluntary initiatives to improve air quality, and educating people and businesses about clean-air choices. To learn more about our work, visit us at www.pscleanair.org.