If you speak a language other than English, call Caroline Mellor at 360-628-4666 for free interpretation.
Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, and Russian language interpretation will be available live during the air quality listening sessions.
Español (Spanish)
Para más información, por favor llame a Caroline Mellor al 360-628-4666 y solicite un intérprete.
Los servicios de interpretación en español estarán disponibles en la sesión de escucha sobre la calidad del aire.
中文 (Chinese)
如需要關更多信息，請致電 Caroline Mellor 360-628-4666, 並可要求口譯員。
在空氣質量聽課期間，我們將提供中文翻譯。
Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
Để biết thêm thông tin hoặc cần thông dịch viên, xin vui lòng gọi Caroline Mellor theo số 360-628-4666.
Thông dịch bằng tiếng Việt sẽ có trong các buổi thuyết trình về chất lượng không khí.
한국어 (Korean)
더 많은 정보는 담당자 (Caroline Mellor, 360-628-4666) 에게 전화하셔서 통역을 요청하세요.
공기청정 공청회에 한국어 통역서비스가 제공될 예정입니다.
Русский (Russian)
Если вы говорите на русском языке, то вам доступны бесплатные услуги перевода. Звоните Caroline Mellor по телефону 360-628-4666.
Section 3 of the Climate Commitment Act
Section 3 of the Climate Commitment Act ("Improving Air Quality in Overburdened Communities") requires us to conduct an environmental justice review to determine whether reducing greenhouse gas emissions is also reducing other types of air pollution in the communities that bear the brunt of pollution today.
We're working to determine criteria to identify these overburdened communities, and will then establish an expanded air quality monitoring program to get more information on pollution levels in these areas. Based on that information, we will work to develop plans to reduce pollution in these areas.
Listening sessions and new survey
As we develop criteria to identify overburdened communities that would benefit from additional air quality monitoring and pollution reduction plans, we are holding a series of listening sessions to hear from residents about their experiences with air pollution in their community, and collect information on other factors we need to consider as part of the initial selection process. This feedback is critical to Ecology’s process and will inform the development of criteria to identify overburdened communities, the expansion of air monitoring in these communities and new air quality targets.
Past listening sessions
- 12 p.m. Mar. 24 -Yakima
- 6:30 p.m. Mar. 24 - Yakima
- 6 p.m. Jan. 18 - Eastern Washington
- 6 p.m. Jan. 19 - Central Washington
- 6 p.m. Jan. 20 - Western Washington
The January sessions were organized geographically although anyone was welcome to attend geographically. We are continuing to host additional listening sessions across the State in response to community interest.
If you were unable to attend one of these sessions, but wish to provide input on the process, we invite you to provide your input through an educational StoryMap and survey, or sign up for our email list for future opportunities to comment.
There will also be additional opportunities for public comment once we propose final criteria for overburdened communities.
Future work
Based on the expanded air quality monitoring network, we will work with local governments, local clean air agencies, Tribes, and other stakeholders to:
- Determine whether air pollution is being reduced in those areas.
- Establish air quality targets for those areas.
- Develop plans to reach the targets.
- Establish air quality targets to reduce criteria air pollution in these communities. Then we will develop a plan to achieve those targets.
Frequently asked questions
The federal Clean Air Act requires EPA to set National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for six common Criteria Air Pollutants. We monitor these pollutants and take action if levels become unhealthy. The pollutants are: Carbon monoxide (CO); Lead (Pb); Nitrogen dioxide (NO2); Ozone (O3); Particle (or particulate matter) (PM); Sulfur dioxide (SO2).
The Climate Commitment Act defines an overburdened community as
“...a geographic area where people are exposed to environmental pollutants or contaminants through multiple pathways, which may result in significant adverse health outcomes or effects.”
Over the coming months, Ecology will be working with the public and the Environmental Justice Council to establish a process and criteria to identify an initial group of communities that meet this definition.
First, we need to identify which communities qualify as overburdened. We are developing, with public input, a clear and objective set of criteria for identifying those communities.
We will start with three sources of data:
- Washington Environmental Health Disparities Map integrates a variety of socioeconomic, health, and environmental data
- Locations of Tribal land
- Pollutant concentration maps based on a combination of air monitoring data and modeling results
We will overlay these three maps to identify areas where air pollution concentrations are elevated, and communities face other environmental and socioeconomic risk factors.
Within these areas, we plan to supplement these statewide datasets with information from local clean air agencies and Tribes to refine the boundaries of these communities. This local scale information includes:
- Emissions from individual facilities or specific sources
- Traffic volumes
- Complaints from residents
- Neighborhood-level demographic data
- Other air pollution modeling or monitoring studies that have been conducted in these areas
Finally, Ecology will be talking to local residents and organizations about data, information, and perspectives they may have that would help inform the criteria for identifying overburdened communities, and about the best ways to prioritize the different factors Ecology is considering.