Blog: Dermot Cole
EPA expected to announce air decision today
Published Monday, December 22, 2008
AIR DECISION:The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to announce the boundaries of the "nonattainment" air pollution area for Fairbanks today.
More than a dozen times so far this winter the level of small particles in the air has exceeded the federal standard. The particles are a problem because they become lodged deep in the lungs.
The borough expects that Eielson will be excluded from the nonattainment boundaries, which would mean that future development of that base would not be hampered by questions about how it would relate to overall air quality issues.
The borough has argued that the winds do now blow pollution from Eielson toward the greater Fairbanks area.
But the nonattainment area will be big enough, probably ranging from North Pole to Ester and north to Fox and the Goldstream Valley.
This means that future projects that require an Environmental Impact Statement will have to include analysis about impacts on air quality, which could stop some projects or require that they be redesigned.
So in other words they might put a syn gas plant in Eilson that will result in the rest of the borough becoming more polluted. Check the level of pollution these plants put out, it is criminal. Nice job, get what will be the biggest polluter in the borough to be exempt. This needs to be investigated big time. The borough officials could care less about people's health and polluted air, its all about making money. Anyone else see something majorly wrong with exempting Eilson. Wonder how much pollutants those jets give off every time they take off and land. This is a sham. They will ban wood burners, but ignor the big polluter.
You are an odd one FD. Why do you even suppose "officials" of any stripe are anything other than influence mongers and power freaks. Fear is their main weapon. Making you think you matter is another. The sky is falling! Let it fall and maybe we can just start over. Remember, we still really do have the power ourselves to render them irrelevant. Ignore them. Alaska might have a chance. I fear the rest of the country is a hopeless case.
Post a comment