DEQ working with community to meet federal air quality standards 

By working together, we can strike the right balance to clean the air and get businesses to come to area 

By LINDA HAYES-GORMAN 

Guest Writer

Herald and News

December 13, 2011

   Q: Does DEQ plan to ban all woodstoves?  

   A: No. While some residents have expressed concern that DEQ will ban woodstoves, we do not plan to do so. The misunderstanding might stem from the work of the Klamath Air Quality Advisory Committee, which is developing ideas to reduce pollution from sources including woodstoves, industry and local roads.

   Federal law requires a plan to reduce fine particulate air pollution to acceptable levels by 2014 because the area has violated the health standard for this pollutant. DEQ convened the committee — which comprises local residents, including woodstove users   and a chimney sweep, along with people who work in agriculture, forestry, health and local government — to ensure residents who stand to be affected by the plan have the chance to shape it.

   They have agreed to evaluate potential strategies based on criteria including effectiveness in reducing fine particulate, economic impact, health and the overall feasibility. To ensure an open process, committee members have freedom to conduct research, explore ideas and express opinions without censorship from DEQ or others.

   Among the more than 50 uncensored preliminary ideas the committee brainstormed was “banning all woodstoves.” Since that initial brainstorming, their deliberations have taken into account that a universal ban on woodstoves would be unpopular, unenforceable, expensive, and therefore likely ineffective in reducing fine particulate levels by 2014. Other ideas currently   under discussion include increasing incentives to install certified woodstoves and weatherize homes, along with better enforcement of existing county ordinances.

   Overall, the committee chose to spend a significant amount of time learning about woodstoves because smoke from residential wood burning accounts for more than half of all fine particulate pollution on the days when air quality is at its worst in Klamath Falls. Perhaps this open and robust debate led some people to believe that DEQ plans to ban woodstoves, but this is not the case. We did not prevent the committee from discussing any ideas.  

   The committee is currently shaping its final recommendations, which it will present to DEQ for consideration in February. We encourage all interested people to attend the remaining meetings and share their thoughts.

   Q: How can DEQ permit a biomass plant in the area?

   A: DEQ cannot choose where businesses decide to locate. Deciding whether to allow a facility in a specific community is most often the job of local city and county planning departments. In the case of power plants, the Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council also has the authority to approve a facility’s location. Our job begins once these land-use authorities give permission to build a facility in a certain place.

   DEQ ensures facilities in Oregon follow state and federal environmental laws. If a company can show it can comply with the regulations, DEQ is legally required to issue a permit. Likewise, if a company cannot show compliance, DEQ would not issue a permit.

   In the case of the Klamath Falls Bioenergy’s proposed biomass plant, these laws required us to take into account the plant’s effect on local fine particulate levels, among many other factors. The company’s permit application demonstrated the plant would meet the stringent air quality requirements of the area, so we issued a permit.

   One result of this compliance is that the plant is expected to contribute about one-sixtieth (1/60) of the local fine particulate pollution that woodstoves produce.

   While some suggest it might   be more expedient to ban whole industries, the state’s environmental policies strike an important balance between communities’ economic needs and Oregon’s responsibility to protect human health and the environment.

   Q: Does this approach improve air quality?

   A: Yes, and it has worked in Klamath Falls before.

   In the 1990s, an advisory committee like the one working today helped developed strategies to comply with the federal PM 10 standard. DEQ and the PM 10 committee created an effective pollution reduction plan while DEQ continued to issue permits for facilities in Klamath Falls. Several industrial facilities opened during this period, and the area achieved compliance with the federal standard.

   Working together, DEQ and this community can again strike the right balance to clear the local air and encourage new businesses to open their doors here.