||| FROM SETH PRESTON for NORTHWEST CLEAN AIR AGENCY |||
Hi! We’re the Northwest Clean Air Agency, and we can’t wait to meet you and get to know you. You’re going to start seeing some of us in the coming weeks and months. And as much as we want to learn about you, we want you to get to know us.
We’re the primary government agency responsible for implementing the federal and state clean air acts in our Island, San Juan, Skagit, and Whatcom.
San Juan County joined the other three counties in founding our agency in 1967, then withdrew in the early 1980s. As of this July 1, San Juan County rejoined.
Right now, we’re working to learn more about air quality in the San Juan Islands. What does that look like? Well, NWCAA staff members will be talking with local officials, like the county planning department, town officials, and the fire marshal to find out how we can support them, provide them with information, and work together.
You may notice a car with a NWCAA logo driving around some of the islands. That’s one of our compliance team members visiting local businesses that may have air emissions so we can get to know their operations. And we’re working on installing an air quality monitoring station in Friday Harbor.
We also have plans to eventually distribute low-cost sensors at various locations around the islands. (Stay tuned!) Our quality of life in Northwest Washington is closely related to the quality of our air. We can all do something, no matter how big or small, every day to protect the air we breathe.
The NWCAA staff look forward to working with you to do that!
More about NWCAA
We issue permits for and regulate air emission sources ranging from small facilities to large industrial emitters. We also provide services and information related to asbestos, outdoor burning, indoor burning (woodstoves and fireplaces), air quality data, and more.
Check us out online at https://nwcleanairwa.gov/. Have a question or comment on an air quality issue? Contact us at info@nwcleanairwa.gov.
Seth Preston is the Communications Program Manager for the Northwest Clean Air Agency. Contact him at sethp@nwcleanairwa.gov.
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