September 2010Monthly Archives

Staff Recommendation Issued for Department of Information Services

Public Invited to Comment

Public Hearing Slated
October 25, 2010, 6 p.m.
Natural Resources Bldg
1111 Washington St. SE
Olympia

The Olympic Region Clean Air Agency (ORCAA) firmly believes in its motto, “Clean Air is Everyone’s Business.” As such, ORCAA seeks to keep everyone within our jurisdiction well informed about the actions—and proposed actions—we take.

Public comment is currently being accepted on a Notice of Construction application from Washington Department of Information Services (DIS). DIS proposes to install a bank of diesel fired emergency generators controlled by diesel oxidation catalysts at the Wheeler Site near the intersection of 14th Avenue and Jefferson Street in Olympia. Combustion of diesel fuel will result in the emission of air pollutants, including diesel particulate matter (DPM) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) at a rate sufficient for the Washington Department of Ecology to perform a Second Tier Air Toxics Review to evaluate possible human health risks.

ORCAA has assessed air quality implications of DIS’s proposed installation and concluded that compliance with applicable air regulations and standards will likely be maintained. On this basis, ORCAA’s Staff Recommendation is to conditionally approve the DIS NOC application.

Notice is hereby given of ORCAA’s Staff Recommendation to approve DIS’s NOC application for the above-described project. On October 25, 2010, commencing at 6:00 pm, a formal public hearing will be conducted by ORCAA to gather testimony regarding air quality concerns associated with DIS’s proposed project. The hearing will be conducted in the first floor conference room of the Natural Resources Building at 1111 Washington Street SE in Olympia.

Copies of ORCAA’s Preliminary Recommendation and Ecology’s Second Tier Review Technical Support Document are on file and available for review at the Olympia branch of the Timberland Public Library located at 313 8th Avenue SE in Olympia, and at ORCAA’s office in Olympia. These documents are also accessible  HERE.

Comments on the NOC may be submitted to ORCAA in writing. Written comments should be addressed to: ORCAA, 2940-B Limited Lane NW, Olympia, WA 98502, and will be accepted up to close of business on October 25, 2010.

Biomass Fuels Summit Scheduled

The Biomass to Fuels Summit 2010 is presented by Biomass Energy Journal. The Summit’s goal is to advance the production of biofuels from biomass and to develop the supply chains that deliver waste biomass streams and dedicated energy crops to end users as finished energy products.

See complete details here

DNR Lifts State-wide Seasonal Burn Ban

On July 12, by Order of the Public Lands Commissioner, the Department of Natural Resources set a statewide burn ban on all DNR-protected lands from July 15, 2010, through September 30, 2010. This means all forestlands in Washington except for federal lands.

The DNR has lifted that seasonal ban early – effective at 9 a.m. today (September 21, 2010) the ban was canceled. But county-wide fire safety burn bans still exist in Thurston and Clallam Counties. In Thurston County, the local fire districts with the support of ORCAA and several County Agencies, have a long-established seasonal burn ban running July 15 through October 15 each year. In Clallam County, the County Fire Marshall has imposed a county-wide burn ban effective from July 1, 2010 until October 1, 2010 unless conditions require an extension. The burn ban applies to outdoor burning only. Recreational fires are still allowed unless further banned by extreme conditions.

Student Video Contest Announced!

Are you interested in the clean air? Showcase your video production skills and highlight the importance of our air quality and its impact on the local communities!

Who is Eligible?

Any 7th-grade through 12th-grade student or team of students enrolled in schools located within Clallam, Jefferson, Grays Harbor, Mason, Pacific or Thurston Counties of Washington. We encourage students to work in teams! All entries must include an endorsement/sponsorship from a school teacher or administrator.

How to Enter:

Entries may be submitted by teams (groups of 10 or fewer students from the same school) or individual students. A teacher or school administrator must approve all entries, though the teachers/ administrators may only provide advisory assistance and not content, technical or production aid. Only one entry per team/individual is allowed.No professional assistance can be provided to produce this video in any manner. All videos must be pre-approved by an ORCAA representative or the school’s teacher/advisor prior to entry to ensure content is factual and compliant with rules of the contest.

Contest entries must be uploaded and entered in an appropriate channel (vimeo.com/channels/CleanAir or youtube.com) with all three of the required keyword/phrase tags (ORCAA, Clean Air Contest, air pollution) by Dec. 1, 2010. A completed Entry Form must be submitted after uploading. The Entry Form and full contest rules may be found HERE

Prizes Include:

Contour wearable video camera (www.contour.com)

Wood Heating Requires Annual Maintenance

If a wood stove of fireplace insert figures into your home-heating plans this year, now is the time to get that appliance properly maintained for the coming heating season.

But it’s not just your wood burning appliance that needs attention. You need to think about the wood that goes in it as well as the chimney that vents out the exhaust (not smoke, we hope) from your fire. There are a number of great resources online to help you learn how to burn cleanly and safely. One of those is the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA). The following is a well-reasoned argument from that organization about why you need to address your home heating needs now.

As the weather gets cooler, trails of woodsmoke will soon become more prevalent in the sky throughout most of the United States. That smoke is the result of incomplete combustion, a tell-tale sign that the fireplace or stove can be operated more efficiently. The Chimney Safety Institute of America reminds homeowners that they can get more out of their home heating budgets this year by learning to operate their systems more efficiently and by maintaining them on an annual basis.   Learn how to reduce emissions from your fireplace by building from the top down.

Learning how to operate your home heating appliances and then taking care of them through routine maintenance are two of the best things a homeowner can do to save money on heating this season according to the CSIA.

Factory-built fireplaces and stoves come with an operator’s manual just like an automotive operations manual. Since most homeowners operate their heating appliances for only a season or two and their cars or trucks year-round, it is even more important to dust off that installation and operation manual and review the basics. If you are unsure about how to operate your home heating appliance and the owner’s manual cannot be found or does not make sense, call a qualified chimney professional

A qualified chimney professional, like a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep, can show you how your heating and venting systems work and can help you do your part to save the environment by burning cleaner and help you save money by heating more efficiently.

The Chimney Safety Institute of Americaand the National Fire Protection Association recommend annual chimney inspections by a qualified chimney professional and sweeping when necessary. (A good rule of thumb is that your chimney needs to be swept when there is 1/8” of accumulated creosote in the system. Learn more about chimney sweeping at www.CSIA.org.)