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37 °F Forecast | Road Cams Tuesday, January 20, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend December 17, 2003 Wayne Slawson of Talent was one of many who met with DEQ officials Tuesday night to discuss industrial pollution. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Crowd wary of clean-air plan By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune A skeptical crowd of about 250 Jackson County residents Tuesday night described a state air pollution plan as misleading and a potential reversal of years of work cleaning up industrial emissions. "Why is this proposal being stuffed down the community’s throat when people don’t want it?" asked Medford resident David Martelli. A majority of the residents at the public hearing raised their hands in opposition to the air quality proposal. Fewer than 10 hands were raised in support. Cond� Cox, a Jacksonville resident who has spearheaded a local effort to overturn the DEQ proposal, told audience members, "They (the DEQ) are misleading you." He said state officials are trying to pinpoint cars as the major pollution source when the more harmful particles emitted from industrial smokestacks cause more of a health problem and haze problem. Advertisement Existing standards have prevented industry from polluting the air more, said Cox. "That is what has held the line," he said. Medford resident Gaylene Hurley also challenged claims made by the DEQ. "You’re not telling people that industrial emissions are the primary source of fine particle that cause the most health problems," she said. White City resident Bobbie Murphy countered the DEQ’s claim that it hadn’t calculated the kind of fine particles produced by industry. According to graphs she obtained from the federal Environmental Protection Agency, studies showed that these very fine particles accounted for 63 percent of pollution in the county. Murphy said the Rogue Valley needs to sidestep local politicians and go to Gov. Ted Kulongoski for help. "(County Commissioner) Jack Walker has already rolled over and so has Sue Kupillas," referring to their support for the proposed air quality plan. Commissioner Dave Gilmour has opposed it. Ashland resident Richard Hendrickson said, "We’ve been sold down the river by Jackson County’s 19th century politics." He referred to the DEQ plan as "outrageous." Hendrickson said, "I did not move to the Rogue Valley to see it turn into a Los Angeles basin." Annette Liebe, DEQ manager of air quality planning in Portland, told people that new or expanding industry would not be allowed under the new plan in White City and north Medford because they occasionally come close to exceeding federal standards. Medford resident Rochelle Loogman asked, "Why do you want to make it so other areas in the Rogue Valley look like White City?" Liebe, responding to questions about where industry could be located in the valley if the emissions standards are weakened, said, "That depends on local land-use laws." Bob Palzer, a member of the Medford-Ashland Air Quality Advisory Committee, also denounced the plan that he voted against. He said there are two areas in the country that are the worst for fall and winter air stagnation. "One is Lander Wyoming," he said. "The other is right here where you’re sitting." Former county commissioner Ric Holt attempted to market a new fuel additive that he is promoting that he said would lessen pollution. One audience member yelled out, "Is this infomercial time?" while Holt was being booed from the microphone. Many residents left the hearing while Holt and representatives from the Fuel Science Institute took turns at the microphone. Holt and an audience member got into a heated argument about whether Holt had disrupted the meeting. The doors to the auditorium were closed to prevent the argument from disrupting the proceedings. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Proposed regulations would end clean-air credits As part of a new air quality plan for Jackson County, the state Department of Environmental Quality has proposed weaker standards to promote more industrial development. Under existing regulations that are more stringent in this county than elsewhere in the state, so-called clean air credits have to be purchased by new or expanding factories. For example, a factory that would generate 10 tons of pollutants annually would have to pay another industry to reduce their emissions by 12 tons, resulting in an overall improvement in air quality. However, industry officials say there are no credits available, limiting growth and stifling the creation of jobs. Under the proposed regulations, this credit-swapping provision would be generally eliminated. New or expanding industries could add to existing pollution, but only up to 95 percent of federal standards. At present, total fine particle pollution in a worst-case-scenario for most of the valley amounts to only 50 percent of federal standards. Critics of the proposal say Jackson County’s air should be improved rather than worsened, particularly because pollutants tend to get trapped in the valley. In the next 10 years, fine particle emissions are expected to increase in Jackson County by about one-third, mostly because of the dirt kicked up by increasing vehicle traffic. However, these particles are generally coarser than the potentially more toxic industrial emissions. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! 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