Four the Future - Air Quality

Four air quality articles, including an update to the Waste-to-energy mercury violation, power plants killing plant life, smoking-related deaths, and improvements in a world city's air.

• City, air agency could settle fine, upgrade incinerator
  Source: Spokesman-Review; December 28, 2010
  See also: Four the Future – November 3
  Summary: The Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency has offered to settle a Waste-to-Energy air quality violation from last year for $5,000 and a required upgrade. During a test, the City of Spokane turned off a pollution control system they normally use to prove they didn’t need it. Under the deal, a carbon-based system will be installed at a cost of approximately $40,000. The director of the Spokane Regional Solid waste System says the cost won’t make much difference because the plant was already committed to using the new system.
  Opinion: The attitude that argues that air quality control measures are unnecessary might stem from a philosophy of maintaining flexibility or being scientific in their approach, and not merely to thumb their noses at regulators. Indeed, the former what the city is claiming. Latest update: the city agreed.
• Is coal-fired power plant killing farmers' trees?
  Source: MSNBC; December 28, 2010
  Summary: Farmers in central Texas are losing their crops, they say, because of the sulfur dioxide emitted by coal-fired plants. Sulfur dioxide, combined with water, makes sulfuric acid, a source of acid rain. It is known that sulfur dioxide kills trees, especially pecan trees. The Fayette Power Project has operated for 30 years, mostly without emissions control. The Lower Colorado River Authority, which operates the plant, and the state regulator both say it is not the plant's fault, but the EPA is suing Texas over its failure to enforce the Clean Air Act. There are 19 coal-fired plants in Texas. Each place where the trees are dying off there is a plant nearby. The EPA’s criminal investigation branch is getting involved. In the meantime, the Fayette plant is receiving a $500 million upgrade to scrub sulfur.
  Opinion: This is one of the difficulties with coal, other than coal not being renewable and its combustion causing climate change. Coal contains about 1% sulfur. Lower quality coal (which is what is used because much of the high-quality anthracite has already been burned) has more sulfur.
  
• More Than 600,000 People Killed by 2nd-Hand Smoke
  Source: ABC News; November 26, 2010
  Summary: Annually, passive smoking causes about 379,000 deaths from heart disease, 165,000 from lung disease, 36,900 from asthma, and 21,400 from lung cancer. This accounts for about 1 percent of all deaths. This is in addition to the 5.1 million deaths caused by smoking. Children are especially affected due to SIDS, ear infections, pneumonia, bronchitis, and asthma.
  Opinion: If smokers as a group killed 600,000 non-smokers a year by any other means, it would be called murder. Hopefully legislation such as the Washington Clean Indoor Air Act will show a reduction in deaths over time. However, since it doesn’t apply to homes, children will still be disproportionately harmed.
• What's missing in Mexico City? Dirty air
  Source: McClatchy; December 2, 2010
  Summary: In 1991, Mexico City’s air had only 8 days with air quality below hazardous levels. This year, however, adequate to good air days has set a record of 193 days. This is a result of policies such as emissions testing every six months, reductions in lead and sulfur in fuels, and the relocation of the heaviest polluting factories. In 1989, the city created Hoy No Circula ("No Driving Today") that prevents driving one day per week. They also expanded the subway system and extended bus-only lanes for low-emission articulated buses. Still, ozone is a problem 180 days per year, complicated by the city’s high altitude.
  Opinion: Mexico City is an mega-huge, sprawling city. Just like Los Angeles, it is heavily auto-dependent. And like Los Angeles, they have air quality issues and are embracing infrastructure-intensive transit as a solution. Smaller cities would be smart to heed the lesson and avoid the auto-centric, sprawling pattern that made those cities so dirty.
  

Four the Future - November 3

Today: helping you breathe easier.

• New U.S. Standards Take Aim at Truck Emissions and Fuel Economy
  Source: New York Times; October 25, 2010
  Summary: The Obama administration is proposing new fuel efficiency rules for heavy vehicles, mainly "tractor-trailers, buses, delivery vans, heavy pickup trucks, [and] cement mixers" for vehicles manufactured between 2014 and 2018. Changes are intended to reduce fuel consumption by 10 to 20 percent, depending on type. A recent study showed that fuel consumption could be reduced by up to 50 percent.
  
  
  
  Opinion: The study cited above states that for the cost of $84,600 per tractor-trailer, fuel efficiency could be doubled, offering a return on investment of 10% as long as fuel was at least $1.10 per gallon. As of October 25, the cost of diesel fuel is $3.067 per gallon, up $0.266 from last year, which means the ROI would be much higher.
  
• Mercury emissions too high during incinerator test
  Source: Spokesman-Review; September 17, 2010
  Summary: During its annual air-quality testing, Spokane’s Waste-to-Energy plant failed its mercury emissions test. The plant has an effective "carbon pollution control system" to capture mercury prior to release, but it is turned off during testing to prove that it doesn't need it.
  Opinion: Um, apparently, it does need it.
  
• Lowe’s and Wal-Mart pay multimillions in air pollution fines
  Source: Los Angeles Times; October 29, 2010
  Summary: Lowe’s will pay $2.75 million, and Wal-Mart will pay $2 million in a settlement for having sold paint that causes smog.
  Opinion: One of the important parts of the green building movement is to make the places we occupy healthier for people. One of the requirements to qualify for recognition as a green building is the use of paints and coverings that emit fewer, or no, volatile organic compounds (VOC). Consumer Reports ran an article regarding these paints last year. Standards will change over time, producing improved respiratory health, but either our expectations for paint will have to change or the coverings industry must find ways to provide their product without harming their customers.
  
• Agency offers seminars on proper wood burning
  Source: Spokesman-Review; October 21, 2010
  Summary: The Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency (SRCAA) is offering seminars on how to burn wood cleanly at 11 AM to noon the next two Saturdays at three locations around the region. You may also receive more information directly from the agency with a brochure or DVD.
  Opinion: Spokane sits in a big valley that, when there’s an inversion, the air near the ground cannot escape. In that case, all the smoke emitted by fireplaces stays here in the valley. The SRCAA is responsible for enforcing burning restrictions to maintain air quality in Spokane when there’s an inversion. When people burn cleanly, it not only improves our air quality, but clean-burners get to use their wood burning appliance when dirty ones cannot.
  

Four the future - December 13

Access to Antoine Peak, Waste-to-Jobs, Spokane County jail, and inclusionary housing.

• Access still limited to Antoine Peak
  Source: Spokesman, 091213
  Summary: While Spokane County has received grant funding for Antoine Peak, access is still limited because a third and critical piece of the property acquisition has not been made.
  Opinion: With the arrival of the grant monies, purchase of this final piece is easier. And if Spokane County withdraws the mind-boggling offer to purchase the YMCA, they'll save an immense amount of money for appropriate uses, like acquiring this third parcel.


• Watching their waste
  Source: Spokesman, 091213
  Summary: Odessa Public Development Authority is developing a bio-digester at Fishtrap. In digesting 75,000 tons of waste, it will create fertilizer, generate enough electricity for 1,000 homes, and become Lincoln County's largest employer with 75 new jobs.
  Opinion: A great idea to deal with some of Spokane County's waste issues, but let's make sure there are no pathogens making it all the way into the resulting fertilizer. Good on Odessa PDA to look outside the box in being willing to place a site closer to Sprague than Odessa. With a little less provincialism everywhere, we'd all benefit with a little help from our friends. And look at that: Lincoln County's largest employer will be part of the green collar economy.


• Jail query: not where, why
  Source: Spokesman, 091213
  Summary: A letter writer tells her experience about how a public hearing about the new jail facility turned from where should the facility be built to why should it be built, and brings facts to bear.
  Opinion: An excellent question: what is it about this "family friendly" community that requires so much jail time? The fact is that the county commissioners already picked a site, the best one, too, but the two Republicans on the board don't have the courage to stick to their decision. Beware Knezovich's recurring bids to create his own little kingdom out on the west plains.


• Controversy surrounds Bellingham plan to require low-income housing
  Source: The Bellingham Herald, 091213
  Summary: The Bellingham City Council unanimously required a development to include 10% of the housing to be affordable to families making 80% of the Whatcom County median household income. There is disagreement over the appropriate method of ensuring the presence of affordable housing in an area. In Bellingham almost one-quarter of the cost of building a home is fees and sales taxes.
  Opinion: The fees argument is a red herring: who would live in a house that doesn't have access to roads, sewer, water, or schools? Or will fall down because it's uninspected? The question is: how do we ensure that there is a connection between the incomes in a community and the available housing stock. There are two ways: increase incomes for the least paid, or require that if incomes are low that there is housing stock available. Since there are so many people in leadership positions in this nation who hold the opinion that paying people well for their work is harmful to the economy (which is ridiculous because paying people IS the economy), the second must be pursued. What we need is to view affordable housing as a commodity, and create a market for it. Require all development to include a percentage of housing, including rentals, to be affordable, the percentage adjusted to the need in the region. Then, allow developers to transfer this requirement, if they wish, to other developers who would like to take advantage of government assistance. With protections to prevent affordable housing from being moved out of the local area and to prevent high concentrations of low income housing, a market is formed which is flexible and meets the needs of the region.