Marketplace Today Blog

By Lee Bergquist
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Gov. Jim Doyle asked federal authorities Monday to declare six Wisconsin counties in compliance with new, stronger limits for air quality, even though Milwaukee County violates the standard.

Doyle told the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that Wisconsin officials were certain the counties, including Milwaukee, would comply with stricter standards for fine particle pollution — or soot — by the time they go into effect in early 2014.

Doyle’s action was praised by Wisconsin’s largest business group because affected companies will avoid higher costs to comply with the law.

But a representative of the Sierra Club said the governor was “playing a guessing game with the health of Wisconsin residents.”

In August, the EPA designated Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine, Dane, Columbia and Brown counties as not complying with new standards for PM 2.5 — microscopic particles that can damage the heart and lungs when breathed.

In Wisconsin, the largest sources of particulates are residential wood burning, road dust, off-road equipment, industrial processes, electric generation and vehicles, EPA figures show.

The new standard was reduced from 65 micrograms per cubic meter to 35 micrograms per cubic meter after the EPA reviewed the scientific literature and found growing evidence that the particles from sources such as coal-burning power plants or the puff of a diesel engine caused more health problems than previously thought.

In the Midwest, the EPA named 76 counties as not meeting the new standard.

Measurements show that Milwaukee, Dane and Brown counties violated the 24-hour standard from 2005 to 2007.

But Doyle told the EPA that Dane and Brown counties no longer would violate the standard when using a rolling average that includes the first eight months of 2008.

Waukesha and Racine never violated the standard between 2005 and 2007 — and not this year. But they were lumped in with Milwaukee County because the counties’ pollution affects Milwaukee County.

Doyle said soot emissions will decline in coming years because of new or expected changes in other air laws. This includes Wisconsin’s new mercury reduction law, which aims to cut mercury from power plants by 90%. An option in the law lets utilities put off the full reduction until 2021 if cuts in sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are also made.

Now it’s up to the EPA to designate the counties. The EPA was unavailable for comment Monday, but the agency has taken a dim view of states that have asked to be declared in compliance, based on future pollution reductions.

Companies that expand or move into any of the six counties could be forced to purchase more expensive pollution controls and find ways to cut soot levels.

“We’re very grateful,” said Scott Manley, director of environmental policy for Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce.

The business group asked the EPA this month to consider complete data from 2008 before making a decision. The “untold story” is that Wisconsin’s air is getting cleaner, he said.

But Jennifer Feyerherm of the Sierra Club said “there are no safe levels of fine particles.”

She said Doyle’s request to the EPA was based on incomplete data because the final months of the year can often produce high levels of particle pollution.