Phase Two of Air Quality Management Plan Offers LIttle

By 250 News

It is supposed to be the  "bridge" betweeen the  first phase and the third phase of the Air Quality  Improvement Management Plan that was initially developed in 1998 for Prince George, and updated in 2004.  The  presentation of "Phase Two"  to Prince George City Council offers little in the way of new information or recommendations.

Of the 30 recommendations listed in the  report,  about  1/3  can be  considered "new" as  most  were listed as completed or ongoing in the progress report presented to Prince George City Council in October of 2004.

In short,  the recommendations have been re-cycled with the following exceptions:

#20:  The City ban  recreational fires on all properties in the City of Prince George.

This is not a  "ban  the weiner roast during an air quality advisory " recommendation, it is a call for the banning of  ALL recreational burning in  the City of Prince George.  "That was a bit of a hot issue during the phase one" says Committee Chair Rich Gerrard. He knows this is going to be a hot issue again but says City Staff  have indicated it is a problem "The problem they've had is abuse of it.  Somebody starts up a fire,  that is said to be a  backyard recreational  weinie roast, and the next thing they're finding is that people are throwing yard waste, garden debris,  wet leaves etcetera into them (the fire) and  they are getting complaints so it isn't working out real well from their perspective."

#10: Air quality considerations be incorporated into the P.G. Official Community Plan

#11: request  local government to designate land as needed for heavy industry so as to direct  future air pollutant sources to areas out of the airshed

#12: Conduct an airshed boundary  study to assist with determining air quality effects from open  burning and other air pollution sources within and aoutside the City of P.G.

#22 Ministry of Environment and the Regional District develop strategies to reduce open  burning of Mountain Pine Beetle and land clearing debris in areas surrounding the City.

#26. The City of Prince George complete all Milestones of the Partners for Climate Protection Program

#27  The Regional District continues to advance its Landfill Gas Managment Plan to pursue beneficial use options of landfill gas

and three other recommendations that have to do with monitoring and research funding. 

Ministry of Environment's David Sutherland says  the studies are critical to  identify the sources contributing to the problems today, and  to make plans for the future and the next  phase.

Councilor Don Zurowski says the  plan  doesn’t address restrictions to current license holders. Air Quality  Implementation  Committee Chair Rich Gerrard says there has  been a great deal of discussion with the City on how  development can be promoted  but without saying emissions must be zero.

One of the most serious concerns  over this past year  came through the  asphalt emissions. Gerard told Council  the Ministry of the Environment  is looking at some short term changes to asphalt regulations and a broader  change  to the regulations in the longer term. 

The President of PACHA (People'sAction Committee for Healthy Air)  sat through the presentation, and while Betty Bekkering says she supports the recommendations she said she was disappointed  in Council's actions "They received the report, but that doesn't mean they have agreed to adopt any of the recommendations." says Bekkering,  "so as far as I can see, it is status quo."

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