Committee clears the air on Pinal County agriculture pollution bill
Bas Aja testifies Tuesday on Pinal County air pollution bill
By Phil Riske | Rose Law Group Reporter
Dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind ~ song lyrics by Kansas
(STATE CAPITOL) – After highly scientific presentations about air quality measurements, a Senate committee Tuesday morning gave a do-pass recommendation to a bill (HB2394) to remove an 18-month delay for compliance with the agricultural general permit and requires immediate compliance with the permit beginning January 1, 2016.
The measure, which passed the House 58-0, expresses confidence Pinal County can reach federal standards for air quality after months of back and forth between the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) and the federal EPA over dust particulate levels in agricultural areas, where farming and ranching are a $1B industry.
“It’s EPA’s job to set the rules, and the state’s job to follow them,” ADEQ Director Henry Darwin told the Senate Committee on Water and Energy, which forwarded the bill 5-0.
ADEQ Director Henry Darwin
ADEQ Director Henry Darwin
Darwin said Maricopa County has met EPA air quality standards, and plans are to replicate plans to meet the standards for Pinal and Yuma counties.
