Is the Mat-Su’s air polluted?

PALMER — Members of the Mat-Su Borough Assembly listened as six Valley residents suggested the borough set its own standards regarding air quality and determine the effects of using wood for heating. The public had to wait to speak after Resolution 17-042, removed from the agenda prior to its adoption at the request of borough manager John Moosey at Tuesday evening's regular assembly meeting.

The resolution was a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the borough and Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) for Air Quality Coordination. The resolution stated it would clarify responsibilities of both government units in operating the Mat-Su's air quality program and addressing current and future air pollution issues.

Both government agencies have been monitoring Mat-Su air quality since 1998. The DEC has air quality monitoring stations in Butte and Palmer areas and those monitors' data show both wind-borne and wood smoke particulates are above federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards, especially in locations in and around Butte.

Back in February, the assembly got some concerning news at a late February meeting from Denise Koch, the borough’s Director of Air Quality. Her presentation undoubtedly contributed to Moosey’s decision to enter into the MOU.

After narrowly avoiding EPA sanctions in 2016 with regard to the fine particulate matter, 2017 is off to a dangerously polluted start, despite efforts to get out the word about the importance of burning dry wood, Koch said in her power point presentation.

Koch explained that the acceptable level of PM2.5, which is particulate matter 30 times finer than a human hair, is 35 parts per cubic meter. The 2016 tally, which was taken as an aggregate of each of the 98th percentile of each of the previous three years, came it at 35.1. Only a generous rule in EPA standards prevented the Mat-Su Valley from falling under the same federal scrutiny Fairbanks and Juneau have in recent years.

“Fortunately, the EPA allows you to round down, so the Mat-Su is in attainment,” Koch said. “But it’s way too close. If we want to make progress, we have to get that value down.”

Koch said that since 1998 there have been two air quality gauges in the valley, one near the borough assembly building in downtown Palmer, and another in Butte.

Early in 2017, the readings were off the charts, with the Butte meter reading 63.5 on Jan. 1, 42.2 on Jan. 2, 41.6 on Jan. 11 and 44.1 on Feb. 6.

Granted, those numbers were bound to wane after winter, but scope of the measurement is long-term, and a steady reading average over 35 is a cause for concern, Koch said in that February meeting..

“It’s a very long process, but if you’re over 35, the EPA can declare an area to be in non-attainment and that triggers a very complicated and expensive planning process,” Koch said. “The federal government can require 2 to 1 offsets, so, for instance before you get a permit for one permit of pollution, you can only do it if you remove two from somewhere else. That has a lot of impact on industry.”

She said funding for federally funded road projects could be held up until each shows it conforms to EPA standards, the borough would have to come up with its own plan to address the problem, and even then be under a sort of probation for 20 years.

“I don’t want to go down this path; you don’t want to go down this path,” she said. “But there are ways for us not to go down this path.”

There are two sides of the issue. On one hand, some are afraid that if the Mat-Su doesn't "clean up its act", state and or federal officials will step in and do it for them, although there hasn't been any indication of this happening to date. On the other side of the coin, many Mat-Su residents said they don't want their freedom impinged upon and at least one felt the agreement appeared deceptive and lacked transparency.

Carol Carmen said she felt the DEC and EPA have no right to make demands on the topic calling it government overreach.

"I don't think we have to tolerate it," Carmen said and referenced the effect that getting federal officials involved in Fairbanks had. "We're heading down a slippery slope. What they're doing to Fairbanks, they plan to do to us at some point and time."

The EPA has given Alaska until the end of 2017 "to submit a Fairbanks serious air quality plan...", the EPA has posted. EPA stated the North Star Borough has recorded the highest level of fine particulates in the nation. Like Butte, Fairbanks is located in a valley which, when temperature inversions and little wind are present, cause wood smoke and related particulates to remain suspended. That leads to unhealthy air quality.

Another agenda item, awarding a $930,000-plus bid to D&S Road Services for crack-sealing services, drew debate between assembly members. Assemblyman Dan Mayfield was against awarding the bid because of what he felt was "appearance of impropriety".

Mayfield was referring to the fact that the project's low bidder had its offer thrown out after not meeting one of two addendums to AM (action item)17-035. Mayfield said he felt because another company, Sockeye Asphalt, which was originally awarded the bid but lost it on a challenge by D&S, wasn't able to meet the addendum showing it had required borough road mile experience in the short time given before the bids closed. Mayfield contended the project should receive a revised request for proposal (RFP).

Assemblyman George McKee said it appeared to him that the bid was a "dog whistle" aimed at awarding the contract to one bidder. Colleague Randall Kowalke took it a step further suggesting the bid process could be considered corrupt. Borough Public Works Director Terry Dolan said it is important for involved companies to be able to handle the traffic load and routing involved with undertaking such work. Dolan said he personally called Sockeye's owner to encourage him to meet the addendum requirements.

Assemblyman Steve Colligan said because the meeting wasn't the place to debate semantics and that the presented bid should be awarded. He said if the bidding process needs to be changed, it should be done so prior to issuing an RFP, not during an already revealed one. Once the question was called, it passed on a 4-3 vote with Mayfield, McKee and Barbara Doty opposed.