New air quality regs in effect
New air quality regulations restricting open outdoor burning are in effect for the Libby area.
The new rules, aimed at helping bring the area into compliance with revised federal controls on fine particulate matter, were adopted at the county level on Feb. 27 and received approval from the state Board of Environmental Review on March 23. They cover an area west along the Kootenai River to the Bighorn Terrace area, south to Libby Creek, and along Montana Highway 37 nearly to Canoe Gulch. In the Pipe Creek area, the restrictions extend to the neighborhood around the Red Dog Saloon and Doak Creek. The area is larger than the zone affected by previous regulations enacted to meet older federal standards.
Open residential burning within the area covered by the regulations is allowed only by permit and is restricted to the month of April. Previously, open burning was allowed by permit from March through October.
Permits are free and can be obtained by calling the county's environmental health department at 293-7781 extension 228. After a permit is obtained, the county's hotline at 293-5644 should be called before lighting a fire to ensure that burning hasn't been closed on that day due to environmental conditions leading to poor ventilation and increased pollution problems.
With the arrival of spring weather, people have been burning without heed to the regulations, said county air quality specialist Kendra Lind.
"There have been people burning on closed days and without permits," she said.
The new regulations include a provision for extension to May if warranted
by poor weather in April.
Management burning, such as for forest health and fire hazard reduction, is covered by a different section of the regulations and is allowed from April through October. Previous regulations allowed management burning from March through November.
The new regulations are a response to the Libby area's designation as a non-attainment area under federal air quality standards governing particulate matter under 2.5 microns in size. Ongoing monitoring since 1999 has confirmed that the area consistently exceeds the federal annual average standard for PM-2.5. Wood smoke has been determined to be responsible for more than 80 percent of the pollution.
The area is required to show compliance with the federal standards, based on three years of monitoring, by 2010.
In addition to the stricter controls on open burning, the regulations are targeting woodstoves not certified by the Environmental Protection Agency as clean burning. Starting in January 2007, only EPA-certified stoves will be allowed in the area covered by the new regulations. A $1 million federal grant is providing vouchers to help subsidize the cost of stove replacement for area residents, and low-income households are eligible to receive at no cost one of 300 stoves donated by the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association.