DEC Urges Borough to help Butte Air

The Commissioner of the Alaska Dept. of Environmental Conservation, Larry Hartig, the Director of Air Quality, Denise Koch, and Program Manager Barbara Trost appealed to the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly last night to help improve the air quality in the community of Butte. Burning wet wood or burn piles they said, in stagnant air conditions, are the main reasons that an air monitor has been picking up unhealthy levels of fine particulates. 

The air monitor in Butte shows the air quality close to violating national standards.  If Butte exceeds six days over a specific level in 2016, it will exceed federal standards. Violations have put other governments like Fairbanks on an expensive path to acceptable standards. The DEC offered methods to help reduce the release of fine particulates in the air.  Mat-Su Borough staff have been working on education efforts and other helpful measures for Butte residents and will step up the effort. 

Listen to the presentation posted here. Look over the DEC presentation.

Photo:Smoke in Butte during inversion layer conditions, by Patty Sullivan/Mat-Su Borough