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CLEAN AIR NEWSLINE

February 2006 Edition

In this issue:

 

Tempted to light a fire? Step one – check the air quality

As the temperature drops below freezing, the temptation to light a warm fire might be great. But before you light a match, check the local air quality forecast to see if stagnant air might be brewing up a burn ban.

To check the air-quality forecast before you burn in a fireplace or uncertified wood stove, click to www.pscleanair.org or phone 1-800-595-4341. 

It’s not uncommon this time of year to have short periods of air stagnation followed by periods of good mixing. Even if there is no burn ban, consider not burning when there is little or no wind. 

And remember – if you heat with wood, always burn smart, burn clean  – small hot fires with lots of combustion air. Smoke is unburned fuel – fuel you paid for

 

Burdened by branches?
Kitsap, Pierce County agencies offer options for disposal

The recent spate of windy weather downed trees and flung branches, leaving many Puget Sound area residents with a heap of debris. What to do with the mess? Several Kitsap and Pierce county agencies are offering efficient, air-friendly disposal options so you can make the healthier choice for you, your family, and your neighbors.  More >>  http://www.pscleanair.org/news/2006/02_13_Branch_Disposal.shtml 

 

WANTED:  Education representative to serve on agency’s Advisory Council

The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency’s Board of Directors is seeking candidates to fill a vacant education position on its citizen Advisory Council. Candidates should have experience in public, health, environmental and/or science education, and/or community relations or outreach.

Our Advisory Council is made up of individuals representing both regulated and non-regulated businesses, transportation, education, health and science, tribal interests, ports, fire officials, the environmental community and the public-at-large.

Interested candidates must be a resident of King, Kitsap, Pierce or Snohomish County. Letters of interest must be submitted no later than March 17, 2006. For more details, visit our Web site at http://www.pscleanair.org/news/newsroom/releases/2006/02_16_AdvCncl_Ed_position.aspx.

 

Darrington students shine at National Air Quality Conference
 “..We can’t change our location, but we can change our behavior.”

So said two students from Darrington High School of their efforts to improve air quality in their rural community.

Rebecca DiMaggio and Briana Monte Calvo, along with their advisor Eileen Draper, wowed the audience of more than 400 air quality planners, meteorologists and communicators at a recent National Air Quality Conference. They described how their Science Club first became concerned about wintertime air quality in Darrington, a rural town in Snohomish County, and the steps they took to do something about it. 

Working with staff from the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, the Darrington students learned through air quality monitoring that contrary to what they thought, their winter pollution problem was not a result of the local lumber facility, but their own chimneys!

Read more about how this discovery lead to a wood stove change-out program and is improving winter-time air quality for the residents of Darrington.  More >> http://www.pscleanair.org/news/newsroom/releases/2006/02_16_Darrington.aspx .

 

So how was our air?

December* was a Jeckel-and-Hyde month for air quality. The first half of the month was characterized by generally dry, stagnant weather. A Stage 1 burn ban (for fireplaces, uncertified wood stoves, and all outdoor burning) was in effect for King, Pierce, and Snohomish Counties from December 9th to the 18th. After that, it rained, and rained, and... Our monthly rainfall was 6.85 inches (1.23 inches above normal) with most all of it falling in the last 13 days. Temperatures averaged 1.9 degrees above normal, with the first half of the month much cooler than the second half.

For the month, we had 10 days with air quality in the “Good” category, 16 days in the “Moderate” category, and 5 days “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups.”

For data summaries of air quality monitored throughout our four-county jurisdiction, click to http://www.pscleanair.org/airq/reports.aspx .

* Because of the time it takes to review data for quality assurance and process data for reports, our summary discussions in each “Newsline” edition will be two month previous. Thus, our report for this edition is for December 2005.

 

Agency meteorologist receives national award

Mike Gilroy, Technical Services Manager for the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, was recognized recently for his national leadership role in promoting air quality forecasting and communication.

Before an audience of several hundred air quality planners, meteorologists and communicators gathered in Texas for EPA’s National Air Quality Conference, Mike was honored for his “insight, leadership and enduring dedication to the advancement of the AIRNOW program.”

AIRNOW is a program where air monitoring data and air quality forecasts from across the country is posted, along with information about the health effects of air pollution. It is intended to give people two-day air-quality forecasts, especially those with health problems that are exacerbated by air pollution, so they can plan their activities to minimize their exposure to elevated levels. Click to http://www.pscleanair.org/news/newsroom/releases/2006/02_15_Metereologist_Award.aspx to read more about AIRNOW, this special recognition, and to view the Puget Sound-area air quality forecast.

 

Agency stakeholders help create our future

Nearly 100 people attended a day-long conference in Seattle on Jan. 26 to give guidance to the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency as we develop our strategic direction for the next 10 years. We held a similar event for two-and-a-half days in January 1996, and the advice we received then led to our award-winning Diesel Solutions program and our work on climate protection.

Dr. John Fabian, a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel, former astronaut and member of the Association of Space Explorers, was the keynote speaker for the conference titled “Creating Our Future, A Conversation About the Next 10 Years.” He described his experiences traveling into space and the visible reductions astronauts can see in polar ice caps as a result of global warming.

Three panels focusing on protecting individual health, creating livable communities and protecting the global environment set up table discussions among the participants. These work groups then provided their recommendations for dealing with these issues. By the end of the day, participants had ranked and prioritized their top 20 recommendations. 

We’ll have more to report in future issues of Clean Air Newsline and on our Web site as we sort through the wealth of ideas the participants gave us and determine how to move forward.

 

Saving lives, cleaner ports:
Longshore workers endorse efforts to reduce port-related diesel emissions

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union has joined the effort to reduce toxic air emissions from port-related activities along the West Coast, calling for a one-fifth reduction in port emissions by 2010.

"The thousands of men and women I represent and work for raise their families under the cloud of port pollution. They have made a simple demand of their union. While they want to earn a good living, they do not want to pay with their lives for a stronger economy," said ILWU International President James Spinosa.

With port traffic booming at West Coast ports, reducing diesel emissions is a high priority for our agency along with many of our public and private partners. Find out more about the West Coast Collaborative, the West Coast Governors’ Global Warming Initiative, the Puget Sound Maritime Forum, and our agency’s own Diesel Solutions program. http://www.pscleanair.org/news/newsroom/releases/2006/02_16_Cleaner_Ports.aspx

 

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 http://www.pscleanair.org/news/agencynews.aspx . Be sure to select Clean Air Newsline to be added to the e-mailing list.