DEC/FNSB Release Annual Report on Air Quality Improvement Efforts

For immediate release: April 19, 2022
Contacts:
- Cindy Heil, DEC Air Quality Manager, 907-269-7579
- Nick Czarnecki, FNSB Air Quality Manager, 907-459-1001

A $5.7 million federal grant to improve air quality was secured, the oil-to-gas heat changeout program was reopened, and the ability for residents to apply for burn ban waivers was expanded according to the annual report released by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the Fairbanks North Star Borough (FNSB) on April 15. The second annual report provides air quality data for the FNSB non-attainment area, information on new and ongoing actions to improve air quality, and an overview of future efforts.

"The residents and businesses in the non-attainment area have made a lot of changes in recent years, such as only using dry, seasoned wood and observing burn bans when they are necessary," said DEC Commissioner Jason Brune. "This report shows the measurable improvements these changes have made on local air quality, as well as the efforts that DEC and the Borough have made."

While preliminary data shows that results were mixed for the last year, air quality remains much closer to EPA requirements than in years past and has shown marked improvement since 2014. The Serious State Implementation Plan (SIP) is built on meeting EPA air quality requirements by 2024 and was drafted with input from the public. Start dates for new requirements in the plan were phased in over time to help mitigate the impact to residents and as the programs identified in the air quality plan are put in place, progress toward attainment should continue. One change that began in the past year was the requirement that only dry wood be sold in the non-attainment area. Looking forward, Diesel number 1 must be sold in the nonattainment area after September 1, 2022, as it’s a cleaner burning fuel that the Diesel number 2.

"I am thankful for the efforts of Borough residents in the PM non-attainment area to take measures to clean up our wintertime air quality," said Fairbanks North Star Borough Mayor Bryce Ward. "As the Serious State Implementation (SIP) plan gets implemented, we will continue to see additional control measures go in place; it is imperative that we continue to make progress cleaning our airshed to come into attainment quickly."

DEC and FNSB successfully applied for a $5.7 million EPA Targeted Air Shed Grant, which will be used for the Borough’s oil-to-gas change out program, installer training, efforts to verify emission reductions. Both organizations provided community education, with the FNSB focused on air quality and the change out program, while DEC highlighted regulatory changes such as the need to replace woodstoves more than 25 years old. And DEC worked with partner states to successfully petition EPA to revoke a controversial woodstove certification test method that was too easily manipulated. Looking forward, DEC and FNSB will apply for another EPA grant and begin to use highway signs in three locations around the area for air quality alerts.

Those interested in the Annual Air Quality Report, as well as the prior year’s edition and DEC’s progress reports to the EPA, can find them on DEC’s webpage.