Air Quality Standards Raise Fears Nethercutt, Other Officials Seek Delay In Implementation
Controversial new national air quality standards could mean new limits for agriculture and industry in the Inland Northwest - particularly among grass growers and farmers.
State and municipal officials across the country are asking for delays in implementing the tough new standards because of potential economic impacts.
Even if the standards take effect immediately, measures required to reduce air pollution and meet the federal limit won’t be implemented for at least five years, environmental officials say.
At a U.S. House Agriculture Committee meeting Tuesday in Washington, D.C., Carol Browner, Environmental Protection Agency administrator, said it will take time to pinpoint sources and propose solutions to reduce airborne particulates and ground-level ozone.
If an area is designated as not meeting the standards, a state will have up to three years to develop a plan to control the problem, she said.
Still, officials are wary of the economic impact and the enforcement schedule of the new standards. Some members of Congress are lobbying to delay their imposition. Rep. George Nethercutt, R-Wash., cautioned against the proposed EPA limits.
“The costs of just blind faith compliance are going to be enormous for agriculture,” said Nethercutt, who has discussed the issue with other congressmen.
“I think the science that backs up the standards must be held up to scrutiny,” he said. “Just because the EPA declares a solution doesn’t always mean the EPA has the science and the ability to have those standards become law.”
The new standards would limit particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter. “These particles are so small that several thousand of them could fit on the typewritten period at the end of a sentence,” Browner told the House committee. Such particulates come from sources like smoke and gasses in the atmosphere.
Set by the EPA and supported by President Clinton in June, the standards are in response to studies that showed smaller particles can collect in the lungs and cause adverse health effects. “These updated standards have the potential to prevent as many as 15,000 premature deaths and hundreds and thousands of cases of significantly decreased lung function,” Browner said.
As the limits take effect, the first air monitors would go to Seattle and Portland. Monitoring in Eastern Washington and North Idaho communities like Spokane and Coeur d’Alene will begin more gradually, say local EPA officials.
“We also need three years of data collection before we can make any assessment as to what the impacts of all sources, as well as agricultural sources, are on the population in Spokane,” said Steve Body, a senior engineer with the EPA. “It takes some time to gear up.”
Implementation of the new standards wouldn’t change much in Spokane, said Spokane County Air Pollution Control director Eric Skelton. “We’ve been monitoring for (2.5 micrometer particulates) for several years now,” he said. “It appears that we would not have too much difficulty meeting the new standard anyway.”
The greatest effect of the new law would be on wood stove owners who may, depending on weather conditions, have to stop burning, Skelton said.
Farmers who burn their grass fields would also be affected, he said.
“Industry’s contribution is not terribly significant,” Skelton said. “I don’t anticipate at this point that we would need to embark on any major new initiatives to reduce particulates from industry.”
Nethercutt said he’s cautious about how the new standards were set and who might be hurt. “I just want to be sure we take one step at a time,” he said.
, DataTimes