(KCPW News)Â The Utah Division of Air Quality is looking for businesses and the public to weigh in on how to develop new rules to help Utah come into compliance with federal standards for particulate pollution, or PM 2.5, which is prevalent in the winter. Director Bryce Bird says several sectors, ranging from bakeries to auto body shops, must reduce their emissions.
“One of the rules that we’re looking at is a rule for large commercial bakeries, and basically what that rule would require is they put on a device that controls these volatile, organic compounds that are emitted through the baking process,” he explains.
Bird says there isn’t just one thing the state can do to solve its air quality problem, which is why it will take all business sectors to get on board. He says next week’s meetings are an effort to educate businesses, as well as get their input on the logistics of how the new rules would be implemented. The state must develop a Statewide Implementation Plan to meet Environmental Protection Agency standards by December.
“These rules are in draft form right now, and what we’re looking for is information on how these will impact different companies that would have to comply with these, and get some feedback on cost and how long it would take and things like that so that when we ultimately make the plan and submit it to EPA, in the wintertime it is a plan that has been well vetted and well understood by the people that it will impact,” he says.
It will then be up to the Division of Air Quality board to adopt the new rules.
DAQ Information on next week’s meetings:
• 1 p.m. July 9, Department of Environmental Quality’s Board Room, 1015 located at the Multi Agency State Office Building, 195 North 1950 West, Salt Lake City. “This meeting will only focus on surface coating operations that release the VOCs, such as, surface-coating operations of fabric and vinyl, metal and wood furniture, coatings of film and foil and plastic parts, and coatings of large appliances, and autobody refinishing.”
• 5:30 p.m. July 11, Department of Environmental Quality’s Board Room, 1015 located at the Multi Agency State Office Building, 195 North 1950 West, Salt Lake City. “This meeting will only focus on the VOC emission sources from large industrial baking ovens and operators who use appliances with pilot lights and wood stoves.”
• 10-11:30 a.m.; noon to 1:30 p.m., July 14, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Brigham City. “The morning session will only be for surface coating operations. The afternoon session will only focus on VOC emission sources from large industrial baking ovens and operators who use appliances with pilot lights and wood stoves.”
You can also view the draft rules here.
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