Borough rejects air quality resolution

PALMER — The Mat-Su Borough Assembly voted 6-1 at its last meeting to reject a resolution regarding air quality.

At the February 16th meeting, the Assembly heard from many borough residents who were not happy with the prospect of the resolution, but borough officials say much of that opposition was based on misinformation spread via social media. Borough Mayor Vern Halter and multiple assembly members said the social media campaign amounted to fear-mongering and misinformation.

The issue of concern is a type of pollution caused by small particulates in the air, known as PM 2.5. Ted Eischeid of the Mat-Su Borough Planning Department said that type of particulate pollution is generally associated with smoke. The dust often seen in parts of the Valley is made up of larger particles, and is classified differently.

The borough has monitoring stations for air pollution in Palmer and Butte. The monitor in Butte came very close to the number of high PM 2.5 results that could result in further action by ADEC or the Environmental Protection Agency. According to Eischeid, it would have taken just one additional bad monitoring period to reach “non-attainment” status, which can trigger action from the EPA and ADEC. Fairbanks currently finds itself in a situation where outside agencies are involved. Eischeid said areas in non-attainment must create and implement action plans that are approved by the federal government.

A number of factors can impact monitoring results for PM 2.5. In Butte, as in Fairbanks, cold winter days can lead to inversion layers, meaning smoke and other pollutants cannot disperse upward into the atmosphere as they normally would. Last December was relatively warm, and inversion layers did not occur, reducing the chances of another high test.

The stated purpose of the resolution before the Mat-Su Borough Assembly on Tuesday was to update an existing memorandum of understanding with ADEC to hopefully prevent the borough from having to go through a process similar to Fairbanks regarding air quality.

The borough’s efforts to reduce the amount of fine particulates have centered on education. Borough officials encouraged Valley residents, especially in areas like Butte, to burn dry wood whenever possible, since it produces less PM 2.5. The borough also encouraged limiting burning where possible on inversion days.

The new resolution would continue those steps, but also consider actions such as bans on use of burn barrels on inversion days.

Members of the audience who spoke were overwhelmingly against the resolution for various reasons. Brian Endle, who referred to the resolution online as a “wood stove ban,” called for the entire monitoring regime to end, and for the borough to scrap the current memorandum of understanding with ADEC. Endle called the EPA standard’s “junk science” and a “smoke screen.”

Bill Kendig, chair of the Knik-Fairview Community Council, said he fielded many calls after the air quality resolution was put on the assembly’s agenda. He asked for a decision to be delayed until more information was available. Kendig said, “I didn’t understand it…and I’m sure there’s a lot of people here who don’t really understand it.” After reading the memorandum and hearing the report by Ted Eischeid, Kendig said things became clearer, but that the borough should delay in order to get that same information to more people.

Multiple people who spoke said they burned wood as their primary source of heat for their homes. They feared that it was possible the borough, state, or federal government would take away or prevent them from using wood heat. That would mean a costly switch to fuel oil, propane, or other heating methods.

Before the assembly began deliberation on the resolution, Borough Manager John Moosey said he was aware that much of the borough relies on wood heat, and added that the borough made inexpensive firewood available to borough residents on a regular basis. Moosey said, “It was never our intention to go onto your private property or remove your wood-burning stove….We’re trying to allow you to continue using [wood].”

As with the audience, assembly members also wanted additional information. Assembly Member George McKee asked that borough staff provide more information on the air quality issue, the regulations, and their implications. McKee said, “They should give you a comprehensive, written report as to what it is and what the impact [is].”

Assembly Member Jim Sykes, who was ultimately the only vote in favor of the resolution, said he also would like more information, but believed there was risk involved in doing nothing. Sykes stated, “We do need to have the local option. This specifically avoids…EPA takeover.”

At the end of Tuesday’s meeting, multiple assembly members thanked the public for testifying on the issue, but leveled criticism at those who framed the debate as the borough trying to take away wood stoves. Mayor Vern Halter, a self-professed “wood stove guy” called it, “One of the dirtiest tricks I’ve ever seen put out to the public.”

While the resolution was defeated, the combination of monitor placement, temperature inversion, and smoke mean the air quality issue is likely to return.