FINAL BILL REPORT

SSB 6603

                                  C 106 L 88

BYSenate Committee on Environment & Natural Resources (originally sponsored by Senators Barr and Stratton)

Revising air quality opacity limitations.

Senate Committee on Environment & Natural Resources

House Committe on Environmental Affairs

SYNOPSIS AS ENACTED

BACKGROUND:

There are two common types of standards used to measure air pollution which consist of particle matter from industrial smokestacks.  The opacity limit is determined by the obscurity noted when looking through a clear medium.  If the opacity limit is 20 percent, then when looking through a clear medium the smoke cannot obscure more than 20 percent of it.  There is also a "particulate" standard which is a ceiling on the weight of the particles contained in each cubic foot of air emitted from a smoke stack.  According to Department of Ecology regulations, these two standards are distinct and when its inspectors issue fines for violations of either, they view them separately.  There are situations where the opacity standard will be violated, but not the particulate standard and vice versa.

Under air quality law, there are usually three tiers of regulations -- federal, state and the local air pollution control agencies.  All of these must be consistent.  There is a detailed waiver procedure in state law for exclusion from certain regulations.

SUMMARY:

Any industry or air pollution control authority can choose to have violations of opacity limits correlate with violations of particulate limits.  The industry is to submit appropriate data that it has quantified prior to being considered for correlating opacity/particulate standards.  A reasonable fee may be charged the industry requesting an alternative opacity standard.

VOTES ON FINAL PASSAGE:

      Senate    44     0

      House 95   0 (House amended)

      Senate    44     0 (Senate concurred)

EFFECTIVE:June 9, 1988