We promote volunteerism, interagency collaboration, and creative enforcement solutions to bring about positive solutions to environmental concerns that cannot be solved by a regulatory approach. Here are some things we are involved with:

Global Warming

The NWCAA promotes local programs to reduce greenhouse gas through public education and interagency collaboration.  The agency’s fleet contains four hybrid gas/electric vehicles and we installed solar panels on our building. 

The NWCAA also uses outside resources from enforcement settlements to establish effective local programs. One such settlement helped nine cities/counties in our jurisdiction identify where their global warming emissions are coming from and develop climate change mitigation programs that outlined ways they could reduce their emissions cost effectively.  The participating entities enclude Anacortes, Bellingham, Coupeville, Ferndale, La Conner, Langley, Lynden, Oak Harbor and Whatcom County.  

Diesel Exhaust

Diesel exhaust contains toxic compounds which can cause respiratory disease, including cancer, in the general population. The Washington State Legislature recognized that children riding school buses were especially susceptible to the harmful effects of diesel exhaust.  As a result, they authorized funding to clean-up the buses. All the school districts in the NWCAA jurisdiction are participating in the diesel exhaust clean-up program.  To date, 163 of our local school buses have been retrofitted with add-on control devices that reduce diesel particle emissions by 30-40%.  Recently, legislative action expanded the program to include funding for retrofits of publicly owned diesel equipment as well.  

The NWCAA is also partnering with other air pollution agencies to fund a study on the use of ultra low sulfur diesel on ferries. This study will help the ferry system decide if a switch to ULSD for the entire fleet makes environmental, economic, and operational sense.

TRANSBOUNDARY ISSUES

The northern boundary of the NWCAA jurisdiction borders with Canada, which poses special challenges when dealing with air pollution. The NWCAA is partnering with Canadian and other US agencies to develop strategies to deal with transboundary air pollution. Studies have shown that pollutants generated by activities in western Washington and Canada can have far reaching effects.

The Georgia Basin Puget Sound International Airshed Strategy (GBPSIAS) Committee was formed in 2001 to develop cooperative working relationships amongst the air quality agencies of western Washington and southern British Columbia. The Committee meets on a regular basis to share challenges and progress in promoting good air quality for all citizens in the Airshed. The participants have established workgroups that are charged with addressing key environmental concerns. The workgroups are agriculture, clean vehicles and fuels, marine vessels and port emission reductions, residential wood heating, review of major sources, coordinated transboundary science and data, and communications and outreach. The NWCAA participates in all of the workgroups.