Air Quality Program News
State Legislative Report
During the 2011 Legislative Session the Iowa Environmental Council provided guidance to legislators on proposed policies that would promote the creation of clean energy and clean energy jobs in Iowa, state policies that would have helped reduce air pollution in Iowa cities, and legislation that would affect the state’s ability to protect water quality and conserve other natural resources of the state.
All Iowans owe a huge debt of gratitude to those who took the time to let decision makers know that caring for natural resources is key to sustaining our lives and those of future generations. THANK YOU ACTION ALERT VOLUNTEERS!
Most everything is now subject to approval or line item veto by Governor Branstad. After the Governor weighs in on this session’s legislatively approved bills, including the state budget bills, we will post a comprehensive report online. In the meantime, below is a snapshot of key air quality-related legislation and their status, now that the 2011 Legislature has adjourned. Be sure to check out the Council's other focus areas for updates on related bills.
Limits on Air Quality Bureau Fees … This bill failed … The Council opposed this bill, which would have limited the ability of the Department of Natural Resources Air Quality Bureau to raise or assess new fees used to pay for the work of the Bureau.
Open Burning Ban within City Limits … This bill failed … We supported a bill that would have banned open burning within city limits.
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Ammonia From Animal Agriculture Seen to be Significant Factor in Air Quality Problems in Eastern Iowa
(Photo by Lynn Betts, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service)
Multi-day episodes of elevated fine particulate matter pollution are an important factor in air quality. In recent years, areas in eastern Iowa have experienced increased episodes, often exceeding federal standards.
Between January 1 and November 3 of this year, the Iowa DNR reported 63 episodes of fine particulate matter exceeding federal standards at Iowa monitors. These measurements included 13 days (24-hour periods) in Muscatine (including 2 multi-day episodes), 10 days in Clinton, and 5 in Cedar Rapids.
At the Iowa Environmental Council’s Air Quality Workgroup meeting in July, in Iowa City, Dr. Charles Stanier, of the University of Iowa, presented findings based on his analysis of the available peer-reviewed literature on Midwestern particulate matter formation and analysis of seven years of Iowa and Midwestern meteorological and particulate matter monitoring data findings. Stanier’s work indicates that the episodes of high levels of fine particulate matter pollution in areas in eastern Iowa are caused by a combination of high levels of ammonia and local point source emissions.
In Iowa airborne ammonia comes mostly from agricultural sources. The Council has begun policy development to address airborne ammonia, in collaboration with citizens, experts and organizations throughout Iowa.
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Implementing Federal Air Quality Standards in Iowa
The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reviews the standards for six common air quality pollutants every five years, to incorporate into their rules new research on how each pollutant is spread through weather systems, how each interacts with other pollutants and natural components of the air, and how those pollutants affect human health and damage the physical environment. The standards are referred to as National Ambient Air Quality Standards. The six commonly found air pollutants (also known as “criteria pollutants”) are found all over the United States. They are particle pollution (often referred to as particulate matter), ground-level ozone, carbon monoxide, sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, and lead.
The EPA must designate areas as meeting (attainment) or not meeting (nonattainment) the standard. The Clean Air Act requires states to develop a general plan to attain and maintain the standards in all areas of the country and a specific plan to attain the standards for any area designated in nonattainment.
A new Iowa law (House File 2418, April 2010), supported by the Iowa Environmental Council, requires the Air Quality Bureau of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to undertake a stakeholder process before state implementation of any new National Ambient Air Quality Standard.
This summer, the Council participated in two subcommittees of the DNR’s workgroup on fine particulate matter pollution (PM2.5), as intended under the new law. Transportation-related pollution, chemical precursors, and interstate dispersal were discussed at length, in part due to the Council’s presence. In addition to our participation in the workgroups, the Council will submit a letter to the DNR, detailing our recommendations. The DNR must report subcommittee recommendations and its own recommendations to the Governor and Legislature by January 1, 2011.
We expect to participate in future workgroups regarding Iowa’s implementation of federal standards for nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide emissions, which were finalized by the EPA early this year. Proposed ozone standards may be finalized by the end of 2010 or early 2011. EPA’s revision of several ambient air standards comes as a result of recent health studies that show that the previous standards were insufficient to protect public health.
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