Department of Environment and Conservation Recognizes Air Quality Awareness Week

Nashville, Tenn. – In recognition of National Air Quality Awareness Week, April 30 – May 4, 2007, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation encourages all Tennesseans to take steps to improve air quality. Air Quality Awareness week coincides with the beginning of the national ozone forecasting season, which begins on May 1.

Tennessee utilizes a network of 25 ground-level ozone-monitoring stations across the state. The monitors are used by Environment and Conservation meteorologists to produce ozone forecasts through a model that blends real-time and historical ozone data with present and predicted weather patterns to project ozone formation for the next forecast period.

Working with local media outlets and regional clean air partnerships across Tennessee, Environment and Conservation has also developed an Air Quality Alert system to inform residents when air quality becomes unhealthy for sensitive groups. It is even more important for people to take steps to improve air quality when unhealthy days are forecast.

Steps people can take to improve the quality of their air include: reducing vehicle emissions by carpooling, taking public transportation, organizing errands for efficiency, and keeping vehicles well maintained. Energy conservation is important to improving air quality and people can make a difference by utilizing Energy Star appliances, using compact fluorescent light bulbs, weather-stripping doors and windows, adding insulation and buying Green Power where it’s available.

Limiting open burning is also an important element to improving air quality, and there are items that are illegal to burn at any time during the year to protect our air from pollution.

In Tennessee it is illegal to burn:

• Tires and rubber products
• Vinyl siding and shingles
• Asphalt shingles and other asphalt roofing materials and demolition debris
• Building material, construction debris and mobile homes
• Plywood, oriented strand board and treated wood, including railroad ties
• Asbestos-containing materials
• Aerosol cans and food cans
• Copper wire and electrical wires
• Plastics and other synthetic materials
• Paper products, cardboard and newspaper
• Household trash
• Leaves, branches and trees not grown on site

Recycling and composting are alternatives to open burning recommended by the Department of Environment and Conservation.

State law allows for a maximum civil penalty of up to $25,000 per day for each day of violation of the Air Quality Act. For more information on what may and may not be burned under Tennessee regulations, refer to this online brochure: www.tdec.net/apc/pdf/OpenBurningBrochure.pdf.

To burn items not prohibited by Tennessee’s air quality regulations during the official fire season, which is Oct. 15 through May 15, state law requires citizens to get a burning permit from the Department of Agriculture’s Division of Forestry before conducting any open, outdoor burning. During fire season, anyone burning without a permit is subject to a Class C misdemeanor and local governments may have burning ordinances or require permits of their own. For more information burning permits, call your local state Division of Forestry office or visit www.tennessee.gov/agriculture/forestry and click on “Fire Information.”

For more information on air quality in Tennessee, please visit the Clean Air Tennessee Web site at: www.cleanairtn.org.

For more information contact:

Dana Coleman
Office (615) 253-1916