09/27/1989 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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e PM10. The key reason for this is the large number of residents that use wood stoves for heat. Mr. Arkell said that since this problem is common to other . "- areas of the state as well, LRAPA elected to work wlth tne Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) proposal to allow regional air authorities to regulate home heating. Mr. Arkell said that the amendment giving LRAPA the authority to regulate wood stove heating remained until the bill itself was defeated late in the session. Mr. Arkell said that in the winter the air quality in the Eugene-Springfield area violates Federal air quality standards for PM10. LRAPA is required to develop a PM10 control plan under Federal law. Failure to do this subjects LRAPA, the State, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to lawsuits with court-imposed deadlines. Mr. Arkell said that from all the data produced to date, residential wood heating is the most significant source of PM10 in the winter. The LRAPA Advisory Committee is scheduled to make recommendations to the LRAPA Board in November of this year. The board is scheduled to hold hearings in early January. LRAPA expects that mandatory curtailment will be the cornerstone of the recommended strategies, and that City and County ordinances would be the means to implement the strategy, at least for the short run. The mid-range plan is to continue to seek authority to regulate home heating through Legislative action, and to continue to develop and support other strategies to reduce PM10 emissions. Mr. Arkell estimated that a successful mandatory e curtailment program is likely to cost approximately $70,000 per year to operate. Mr. Arkell said that field burning was also widely discussed in the 1989 Legislature. Proposals ranged from a complete, immediate ban on all types of burning, to a six-year phase out of burning, to allowing 200,000 acres to be burned each year for the next ten years before any reduction takes place. Mr. Arkell said that what ended up as the "vehicle bill" was close to the consensus that the City Council reached in February, involving a substantial phase down over the next few years and additional regulation of propaning and stack burning. In the end, ~his bill failed to attract the support needed for passage on the House floor. Mr. Arkell said that two, and maybe three, initiative proposals have emerged since the Legislative session. One would immediately ban all types of burning. Another, announced and supported by the Governor, would phase out burning over the next few years. Mr. Arkell said it has been rumored that the grass seed industry may circulate a third petition. The initiatives are designed for a November 1990 vote. Mr. Arkell said the LRAPA Board of Directors has still not reached consensus on the field burning issue. The board will continue to discuss the issue in the context of these initiative petitions, and may arrive at some position on an initiative if it succeeds in reaching the ballot. He emphasized that the e MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 27, 1989 Page 6