CLEAN AIR NEWSLINE

October 2005 Edition

In this issue:

Burn ban season is here; are you ready?
Darrington residents look to heat cleaner
Washington state explores biofuels industry
Look for clean-diesel projects in your area
Request your 2006 Clean Air Calendar today

Burn ban season is here; are you ready?

It’s that time of year again when temperatures are dropping and many people start using their wood stoves and fireplaces. That means it’s important to pay attention to air quality and to make sure you know how to burn properly. Excess chimney smoke can bother your neighbors and lead to burn bans if pollution levels rise too high during stagnant weather periods.

The best way to know when a burn ban is called is to sign up for our Clean Air Action Network. We’ll e-mail you as soon as we see weather conditions that indicate pollution levels will be rising. Our air quality can deteriorate quickly when the weather doesn't give us the breezes we need to clean away our daily air pollution. These weather conditions, called inversions, trap pollution — mostly particles from wood smoke, but also emissions from cars and trucks — close to the ground.

When we call a burn ban, no burning is allowed in uncertified wood stoves or open fireplaces, and all outdoor burning is banned, even in areas where it is still allowed, until the ban is lifted. We also notify the news media, post the information on our Web site — www.pscleanair.org — and carry a message on our telephone hotline, (800) 595-4341.

Darrington residents look to heat cleaner

Agency staff teamed up with the town of Darrington on Saturday, Oct. 8, to sponsor a "Residential Heating Expo" intended to motivate behaviors that would reduce wintertime wood smoke in Darrington. The expo included demonstrations and educational materials on clean heating, how to burn cleaner with wood, subsidized heating costs and weatherization, low-interest loans, health issues associated with wood smoke, and a graphical depiction of the impact of wood smoke on Darrington's air quality.

In addition to agency staff and Darrington Town Hall representatives, participants included the Northwest Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association, Snohomish County Human Services, Snohomish County PUD, Asthma Alliance of Snohomish County, Darrington High School Science Club, and the Darrington Hardware store.

The event was widely attended by Darrington residents, many of whom entered into serious discussions with participating retailers to replace their existing wood stoves with cleaner burning pellet or gas stoves. Feedback from both participants and attendees were unanimous that this was an informative and successful event, and community leaders look forward to seeing future improvements to their air quality as a result.

Washington state explores biofuels industry

At the invitation of Sen. Maria Cantwell, Puget Sound Clean Air Agency staff attended the first meeting of the Washington Biofuels Business Collaborative. This unique gathering of business, government and nonprofit leaders convened Oct. 3 to discuss Washington state's potential to become a national leader in the biodiesel industry.

Biodiesel is generated by mixing petroleum diesel with a biofuel produced from rapeseed, mustard seed or soy beans, among others, creating a fuel that emits less pollution both as it's produced and when used in cars and trucks. Vehicles using biodiesel emit less particulate matter, air toxics and other pollutants.

Given Washington's vast agricultural resources, the state is well poised to grow the crops from which biodiesel can be created, resulting in a domestically produced, economically viable, environmentally friendly alternative to imported petroleum. Our agency currently promotes the use of biodiesel as part of our Climate Protection program, as well as our trademarked Diesel Solutions program, which seeks to reduce emissions from diesel engines through retrofits and/or converting to cleaner-burning fuels.

For more information about our work on climate protection, visit:
http://www.pscleanair.org/programs/climate/default.aspx.

To learn more about the Agency's Diesel Solutions program, visit www.dieselsolutions.org.

Look for clean-diesel projects in your area

The agency’s Diesel Solutions program, launched in 2001, has many projects under way with partners all across our four-county region to clean up diesel exhaust from sources as diverse as garbage trucks, ferries and airport ground equipment. In addition, many area school districts are currently participating in the Washington State Clean School Bus Program, with more to come.

Progress reports are generally updated monthly on our Web site, so we’ll carry this reminder in each issue for you to look for projects in your area. And be sure to let us know if you have any questions about the Diesel Solutions program.

Request your 2006 Clean Air Calendar today

For the past few years, the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency has produced its wall calendar to update constituents on the agency’s work done on their behalf. The calendar features lovely color photographs of areas around Puget Sound, along with monthly clean-air information and tips.

Thanks to sponsor contributions this year, we’ve been able to increase our supply so we can share this information with an even broader audience.

To request a free calendar, e-mail communications@pscleanair.org with your name and mailing address. One per person, please, while supplies last.

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Sign up now for a 2007 Clean Air Calendar

If you'd like to be added to our mailing list, send an e-mail to
communications@pscleanair.org with your name and mailing address.

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.

About the Clean Air Newsline

Clean Air Newsline is a monthly electronic newsletter to provide air quality information to the residents of King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish counties. Subscribers receive the latest on air quality news, trends and projects that affect our local communities and the air we breathe. Feel free to pass the information along to others.

We also use the Newsline as needed to send timely and important messages about burn bans, Smog Watches and early calls to action when air quality deteriorates.

If you would like to subscribe, you can do so at www.pscleanair.org/news/email_list.shtml. Be sure to select Clean Air Newsline to be added to the e-mailing list.