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DEQ considers dropping oxy gas in Grants Pass GRANTS PASS -- Should oxygenated fuel be eliminated from gas stations here? That is one of the questions that will be addressed during a state Department of Environmental Quality workshop in Grants Pass Monday. Because of improved air quality in recent years, oxygenated fuel is no longer needed to keep emissions within healthy levels, according to the DEQ. The workshop applies only to Grants Pass. The state has no plans to eliminate oxygenated gas from stations in the Medford area. Other topics to be discussed include expanding the voluntary woodsmoke curtailment program and further restricting open burning. The two-hour session begins at 6:30 p.m. in the commons at Grants Pass High School, 830 NE Ninth St., Grants Pass. Cosponsored by the DEQ and the Grants Pass Air Quality Advisory Committee, the workshop is intended to give area residents an opportunity to informally share opinions about how to maintain good air quality in the Grants Pass bowl. The advisory committee, which is helping the DEQ design local proposed pollution prevention measures, is made up of representatives from the business community, local government, health care and an environmental group. The area has historically exceeded health-based air quality standards for carbon monoxide and particulates. However, carbon monoxide pollution in downtown Grants Pass has greatly decreased because of improvements in motor vehicle emissions control equipment and diversion of traffic from downtown, according to a DEQ spokesman. The wintertime oxygenated fuel, required by 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments, has also resulted in reduced carbon monoxide emissions, he said. However, to meet new stricter federal standards for fine particulates, the advisory committee proposes: Expanding a voluntary woodsmoke curtailment program to include the entire Grants Pass valley. Offer incentives for residents to voluntarily remove uncertified woodstoves, replacing them with certified woodstoves or other heat sources. Require removal of uncertified woodstoves when a house is sold. Expand the open burning control area to include the entire Grants Pass valley. Promote yard debris disposal and composting as alternatives to open burning. For more information about the workshop, contact John Becker at the DEQ office in Medford at 776-6010. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA