This Month’s Topics:

• Public & Stakeholder Participation Information
• Presidents’ Day Quotes
• Air Pollution Control Basics: Permits
• Love is in the Air – Air Pollution Effects on the Brain
• Statewide Annual Burn Ban
• Dates to Remember
• AQI Alerts for Respiratory Health

Public & Stakeholder Participation Information:

• Part 218 public hearing on March 11, 2019 at 1 p.m. in Albany, NY, regarding amendments to Part 218 Emission Standards for Motor Vehicles and Motor Vehicle Engines.
• Various projects in the Environmental Notice Bulletin (ENB).

Additional information and access to past announcements are on our Public & Stakeholder Participation Information page.

Air Mail! will now be the publication to announce public and stakeholder information about air quality topics. All NYS residents are environmental stakeholders – we welcome anyone to join the information sessions and other opportunities posted here.

Presidents’ Day Quotes

“A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people.”
-Franklin D. Roosevelt (Letter to all State Governors on a Uniform Soil Conservation Law, February 26, 1937)

"If we've learned any lessons during the past few decades, perhaps the most important is that preservation of our environment is not a partisan challenge; it's common sense. Our physical health, our social happiness, and our economic well-being will be sustained only by all of us working in partnership as thoughtful, effective stewards of our natural resources."
-Ronald Reagan (Remarks upon signing the annual report of Council on Environmental Quality, July 11, 1984)

Air Pollution Control Basics:  Permits

You’ve heard of a permit – something that legally allows you do to something, like drive a vehicle, hunt for deer, or camp in the wilderness. Air pollution control permits legally allow a business to operate under specific conditions. For example, making electricity and steel have the potential to create enormous clouds of contaminants that can cause life threatening ailments. A permit will let those industrial plants operate while limiting the air pollution impact pursuant to all applicable laws and regulations.

To open a business that has the potential to create air pollution, the owner applies to NYSDEC for a permit. After detailed technical review by environmental professionals in the agency, a decision is made regarding the permit. The business owner may be required to install specific equipment or modify processes to reduce estimated pollution before the permit is approved. This is to protect public health, at the same time encouraging economic growth.

Unregulated industry was common in times past, and public health was constantly at risk due to airborne emissions. Through modern regulations and well-researched technology, the clean air we enjoy today is expected by residents and assured by regular facility inspections and continuous air quality monitoring.

If you are interested in air quality regulations, keep an eye on our Air Mail! topic “Public & Stakeholder Participation Information” and participate as a stakeholder. You can learn more about NYS air pollution control and the work we do on our website. 

Photo captions: New York City then and now.

Love is in the Air– Air Pollution Effects on the Brain

Love is in the air – but that’s not all. Valentine’s Day is thought to be the day of the heart, but it is the brain that makes us fall in love. There is developing evidence that dirty air can rob us of our smarts and hearts. Polluted air has tiny particles that can be breathed in and travel deep into the lungs. As the oxygen and blood leave the lungs to circulate around the rest of the body, the smallest of those particles travel with it. Over time, those tiny air pollution particles can travel to the brain causing harmful effects once they get there.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nine out of 10 people breathe unhealthy air worldwide. Studies have shown that long-term exposure to poor air quality is linked to cognitive declines in children and the elderly, affecting both verbal and math scores. DEC forecasts and monitors NYS’ air quality year round. If the Air Quality Index (AQI) reaches the level of unhealthy, DEC will issue an advisory to notify residents.

What can you do?

• You can reduce your air pollution footprint by following these easy tips to keep the air clean.
• To keep your heart and brain healthy, limit your exposure to air pollution by checking the AQI for your area. This is especially important when exercising outside or enjoying the outdoors.

Show some love for your brain every day by doing your part to help reduce air pollution and decrease harmful air pollution exposure for you, your loved ones and the environment.

Photo credit: Santosh Mahat, NYSDEC Division of Air Resources, "Love is in the air" over the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge, Astoria, NY.  

Annual Spring Burn Ban Begins March 16

The residential open burning ban will begin in the spring, which DEC enforces between March 16 and May 14. This statewide annual burn ban temporarily outlaws residential brush and yard debris burning.

To report environmental law violations, call 1-844-DEC-ECOS (1-844-332-3267) or report it on DEC's website.

For more information about open burning, including the regulation (Part 215), visit DEC’s website to learn before you burn.

Dates to Remember:

• February: Black History Month - We honor and celebrate the accomplishments of African Americans throughout history. Here is a list of outstanding individuals who show us how important it is to have #OutdoorEquity of the environment: Audrey and Frank Peterman, Will Allen, George Washington Carver, Wangari Maathai, Nikki Silvestri, and Norris McDonald – all extraordinary contributors to a healthy environment.
• February 18: Presidents' Day – Presidents like Richard Nixon (Clean Air Act 1970), Jimmy Carter (CAA Amendments 1977), George HW Bush (CAA Amendments 1990), and others have signed environmental legislation or promulgated rules that continue to protect our air and environment today.
• March 1: Trees for Tribs application deadline - This program offers free native trees and shrubs for plantings along the tributary streams in the Hudson River Estuary watershed. Trees and shrubs clean our air of pollutants, store carbon and make oxygen for us to breathe. 
• March 12: GreenNY Sustainability Lunchtime Learning Webinar: Buying Local Food - What food tastes best? New York's, of course! Learn about how you can support New York farmers and small businesses, lower your carbon footprint, and enjoy the tastiest food available.
• March 16 to May 14: Annual spring burn ban - Temporarily outlaws residential brush and yard debris burning statewide.

Stay Informed about Your Air Quality

New York's ozone season runs from April through September. DEC publishes ground-level ozone forecasts during ozone season, and particulate matter pollution forecasts year round using the Air Quality Index (AQI). DEC sends out an air quality alert when there is a high AQI value, which indicates polluted air. Individuals with pre-existing respiratory or cardiovascular conditions and people who exercise outdoors should take caution during an air quality alert. Find out if an Air Quality Alert is in effect by calling the toll-free Ozone Hotline: 1-800-535-1345.

The AQI can be accessed in three ways:

• check the daily ozone and particulate matter pollution forecast
• find an Air Quality Monitor near you, or
• sign up to receive Air Quality Alerts for New York State via e-mail.

We would like to know what you think. Please send your Air Mail! questions or comments to us at DAR.web@dec.ny.gov.