||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS |||
San Juan County is pleased to announce that it has rejoined the Northwest Clean Air Agency (NWCAA) in an effort to better monitor air quality, collect local data, and provide resources to islanders. The final decision came in December of 2024 with the official start date scheduled for July 1, 2025.
“I’m proud that Council is taking this step to help improve the health and well-being of our community by closely monitoring local air quality,” said Council Vice Chair Jane Fuller. “Together, we are taking proactive steps to ensure a healthier, safer environment for everyone to thrive in.”
San Juan County was a founding member of the NWCAA in the 1960s, an agency responsible for enforcing federal, state, and local air quality regulations. In addition to permitting and regulating industrial and other sources of air pollution, the agency provides services and information related to asbestos, outdoor burning, woodstoves, and air quality data.
“We are so pleased to welcome San Juan County back to the Northwest Clean Air Agency,” said NWCAA Board Chair Tara Hizon of the Oak Harbor City Council. “We’re looking forward to having all of our counties working together on shared air quality issues and to the new ideas and energy they can bring.”
Other counties in western Washington belong to one of four regional clean air agencies that help inform residents and government leaders about potential problems and recommend possible responses. Substances like particulate matter, ozone, sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide levels are among the chief concerns that are monitored.
Next Steps
San Juan County’s Department of Health & Community Services (HCS) will begin working with the NWCAA to rollout program information and contact potential local emission sources. A representative from HCS will sit on the NWCAA’s advisory council as well as on their board of directors.
After July 1, when the County officially rejoins NWCAA, staff from the agency will begin contacting local businesses with connections to air quality to introduce the program. The team is planning a phased-in approach and is eager to work with local business.
Residents interested in monitoring fine particles (like those in smoke) can also receive outdoor sensors for their homes for free! More information will be available in the coming months.
To learn more about the NWCAA, visit: https://nwcleanairwa.gov/.
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This is wonderful news! Along with Dr. Arthur Winer, UCLA Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Environmental Science and a national expert on air pollution, I’ve been advocating that San Juan County rejoin the NW Clean Air Agency for nearly a decade. But previous penny-pinching County Commissioners (who shall go unnamed, but you can guess who they were) turned a deaf ear to our advice, saying the county had no need of these services. That was bulls**t. Thank you, County Council, for finally opening your eyes.
Great, what will the gain be
What will be banned
What will it cost each individual
Just asking for those who already struggle to make it here…
Vets
Seniors
Disabled