WSR 98-01-182

PREPROPOSAL STATEMENT OF INQUIRY

DEPARTMENT OF ECOLOGY

[Order 97-45--Filed December 23, 1997, 1:06 p.m.]

Subject of Possible Rule Making: Evaluating and certifying, where appropriate, alternate agricultural practices to grass seed field burning.

Statutes Authorizing the Agency to Adopt Rules on this Subject: RCW 70.94.656.

Reasons Why Rules on this Subject may be Needed and What They Might Accomplish: RCW 70.94.656(3) provides for certification of alternate agricultural practices to the open burning of field and turf grasses grown for seed.

Other Federal and State Agencies that Regulate this Subject and the Process Coordinating the Rule with These Agencies: The Department of Ecology is the agency responsible for certifying alternate agricultural practices to open burning of grass seed fields and regulating emissions from all forms of agricultural burning.

Process for Developing New Rule: Agency assessment, review, and evaluation of alternate agricultural practices to open field burning of grass seed fields.

Interested parties can participate in the decision to adopt the new rule and formulation of the proposed rule before publication. Send written suggestions, ideas, proposals, etc. to the Department of Ecology for consideration in its assessment, review and evaluation of alternate agricultural practices to open burning of grass seed fields. Ecology anticipates filing a proposed rule around the middle of March 1998; ideas and suggestions received before then will be most helpful. Ecology will also seek input on this topic from the Agricultural Burning Practices and Research Task Force which meets monthly. Such meetings are open to the public. Send information to Chad Atkins, Department of Ecology, Air Program, 4601 North Monroe, Suite 202.

December 23, 1997

Joseph R. Williams