Washington meets EPA clean air standards
OLYMPIA – Washington has become the first state in the West, excluding Hawaii, to comply fully with federal clean air requirements, officials announced Wednesday.
Only 12 states have been certified by federal regulators as meeting the Environmental Protection Agency standards.
Washington’s full compliance became official on Sept. 26, when the area around the Wallula pulp and paper mill – between the Tri-Cities and Walla Walla – was certified by federal regulators as meeting the EPA standards, said Glenn Kuper, a spokesman for the state Department of Ecology. The area was one of three brought into compliance this year, including areas in Yakima and Spokane.
Wednesday’s announcement means the entire state meets EPA standards for air pollutants such as ground-level ozone, carbon monoxide and particulate matter. Before being deemed as “in attainment,” areas must meet the standards for three years and have an EPA-approved maintenance plan to ensure air quality.
“In 1995, we had three and a half million people living in nonattainment areas; in November 2005, we have zero,” Gov. Christine Gregoire said in prepared statements.
Gregoire said the attainment of the standards ensures “better health and a better economy for the people of Washington.”
“I think it says a lot to the cooperation between the state, the EPA, the business community, nonprofits and citizens,” Gregoire said. “We value our quality of life here. When the challenge was put before us, we all came together.”
Thirteen areas fell below standards in the past decade, Kuper said. The state worked with each of those areas, including parts of Thurston, King and Pierce counties, to bring the levels under control.
Jay Manning, director of the state Department of Ecology, said it was “a tremendous accomplishment.”
“I think we’re a model for the country,” he said. “We have a growing population, a growing economic base, more and more activity and development. You combine those things, and we’re still in attainment on all levels.”
Gregoire announced the clean air achievement at a news conference in Tacoma, where she also signed clean car rules developed by the Department of Ecology to enact legislation passed in April and signed by the governor in May.
New car emissions standards take effect in 2009. By 2016, all new cars, SUVs and light trucks sold in Washington will have to comply with the tougher standards.
Washington’s law is contingent on passage of a similar plan by Oregon, which is currently in its own rulemaking process.
“The clean car law is the most important piece of environmental legislation adopted in our state so far this decade,” Gregoire said in her prepared remarks. “It will improve the quality of our air, enhance public health and help prevent global warming. We will also gain the added benefit of promoting fuel-efficient vehicles that save money for consumers at the gas pump.”