Ecology grants will help improve air quality in several communities

Washington State Department of Ecology

Department of Ecology News Release - July 23, 2008

08-201

Ecology grants will help improve air quality in several communities

OLYMPIA – Local clean air agencies will use nearly $1.5 million in state grants to help replace high-polluting wood stoves and other heating devices with cleaner-burning models in several Washington communities.

Gov. Chris Gregoire and the 2008 Legislature provided the money to the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) to fund grants for programs designed to get rid of old, poor-performing solid fuel-type heating devices. Local clean air agencies applied for grants for use in communities where smoke from burning wood causes air-quality problems and poses serious health risks.

Fine particles in smoke can be inhaled deeply into lungs and damage delicate tissues. Smoke can trigger asthma attacks, cause difficulty breathing, and make lung and heart problems worse. It’s especially harmful to children, people with heart and lung problems, and adults age 65 and older.

“We want to help make the air healthier in communities where smoke from the burning of wood causes air-quality problems,” said Stu Clark, manager of Ecology’s Air Quality Program. “We will use this money to work with our partners so the residents of those communities can breathe cleaner air.”

The grants include $650,000 for the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency to use to help change out old, high-polluting heating devices in some Pierce County communities where air quality does not meet federal standards because of fine-particle pollution.

Grant recipients will partner with energy companies, heating equipment suppliers, neighborhood groups, health departments, and other public entities to help put the grants to work.

Here’s a breakdown of the other grant awards:

Yakima Regional Clean Air Authority received $330,000 for a change-out program in the Yakima area.
Southwest Clean Air Agency will use $260,000 to help replace an estimated 140 heating devices in an area of Vancouver with a history of elevated particulate matter concentrations. This program targets low-income households that use wood as the primary source of heat. Priority will go to households with children, elderly residents or those suffering from respiratory illness.
Puget Sound Clean Air received $110,000 to operate a change-out program in Marysville and the city’s urban growth area in Snohomish County.
Olympic Region Clean Air Agency received $54,000 for change-outs in the Lacey-Olympia-Tumwater area.
Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency will use $45,000 for change-out work in the Spokane area.

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Media Contact: Seth Preston, Ecology communications manager, 360-407-6848; 360-584-5744 cell; spre461@ecy.wa.gov