Contributed by Jim Sykes
Congratulations to the Butte Community on passing 2018 without clean air violations except for an odd one in early September! Mild and active weather, along with people burning drier wood, helped and we can celebrate this small but important victory.
However, there are still a couple of months left, when air violations often occur, and we are not out of the woods yet as we start 2019. So why should people that are living outside of the Butte community care?
In 2017, the Borough narrowly escaped being classified into “non-attainment”, by the skin of our teeth. That's an EPA federal classification for air quality violations that can bring down federally enforced regulations onto the local responsible government — in this case the Mat-Su Borough.
The trouble is that once classified into “non-attainment”, state and federal regulators can decide what steps need to be taken to remedy the violations. They also determine the area that will be regulated. That’s where people living outside of Butte in areas like Wasilla, Big Lake, KGB, Sutton, Palmer and others could also be sucked into the area EPA decides to regulate.
The EPA included large areas in both Juneau and Fairbanks boroughs after numerous violations. Please view the video from former Fairbanks Mayor, Karl Kassel, who relates some of their experience with EPA “non-attainment.” https://tinyurl.com/yafgx3l6
Once trapped in the “non-attainment” process, there's no way out for about 20 years, when onerous regulations that cost lots of local taxpayer dollars are enforced to meet the federal EPA plan of improvement. We simply cannot risk entering that “non-attainment” trap when it's fairly easy to stay out with some easy local steps.
Lots of people in Butte willing to delay burning outside trash, slash and burn barrels during cold air inversions. Most will burn dry wood if they can. If the Borough designates a Butte air district with scientific data to back it up, it will provide significant evidence that the problem is being addressed and it will create leverage with federal regulators on behalf of local residents.
There's been a lot of misinformation floating around lately, but the Borough is not attempting to regulate wood stoves, and never has been.
In fact, the proposal now before the Borough Planning Commission includes the following language:
“The Mat-Su Borough wants to protect residents’ way of life, including their right to heat their homes with wood and this legislation does not regulate wood stoves or other heat sources.”
More people are realizing that there is a real problem and that it won't go away by itself. Another major area of more agreement is that no one wants the EPA to force its regulations on the people of Mat-Su. It is important for people to get questions answered factually from the regulators. The public is invited to an Open House at Butte Elementary School, on Jan 22, 2019 from 6-8pm.
People can ask questions and there will be a short presentation and discussion starting at 7 pm. Representatives from Mat-Su Borough and DEC will be available with information.
I’ve had numerous conversations about the terrible experiences with those who dealt with EPA in Juneau and Fairbanks who made it quite clear that anything Mat-Su can do solve the problem locally needs to be done.
It is these small local steps that are most likely to avoid the heavy hand of EPA regulations and keep people living outside of the Butte area free from regulations in case violations go over the limit. Doing nothing is not a solution.
– Jim Sykes
PO Box 696
Palmer, AK 99645
Jim Sykes is a Member of the Mat-Su Borough Assembly and the opinions expressed are his own.
