Southwest Clean Air Agency

Grant-Funded Woodstove
Replacement Program

Reduce your energy costs this winter!

If you have an old uncertified woodstove or insert and live within the Ogden/Vancouver mall area of Vancouver, contact your local air agency to inquire about available funding to replace your woodstove. Residents within this designated area that currently use uncertified woodstoves will qualify for a $1,500 to $3,000 instant credit per uncertified woodstove while funding lasts. Call SWCAA at 360-574-3058 while funds are still available. Unfortunately, fireplaces are not eligible for this replacement program, only woodstoves and fireplace inserts.

Certified woodstoves burn more efficiently, saving you money on fuel and reducing your pollution. New certified woodstoves improve indoor air quality by 70 percent over old, uncertified woodstoves. To learn how to use your woodstove more efficiently, click here.

_{This woodstove change-out program is paid for by a grant
from the Washington Department of Ecology and funds from the Southwest
Clean Air Agency, participating retailers and other local agencies.}

Clark County	Prohibited
Cowlitz County	Prohibited
Lewis County	Prohibited
Skamania County	Prohibited
Wahkiakum County	Prohibited

Fire Safety Burn Bans are in Effect

Due to persistent dry conditions, the elevated fire danger level has led to Fire Safety Burn Bans in Clark, Cowlitz, Lewis, Skamania and Wahkiakum Counties. This means that for these counties, no land clearing or residential burning is allowed. Small, recreational campfires in approved fire pits (no burn barrels) may be allowed. Read more.

Lewis County Agencies Provide Opportunities for
Residents to Dispose of Natural Material

A series of yard waste composting and chipping events will be held throughout Lewis County this spring and fall. Lewis County Solid Waste, Lewis County Firewise and LeMay Inc. are sponsoring at least nine events to give residents an alternative to outdoor burning of yard waste.

"This is a real opportunity for residents that want to rid themselves of the storm damaged trees and limbs that may serve as fuel for wildfire this summer," said Gregg Pohll, a fire education and prevention specialist for Lewis County. "We also want to give residents in No-Burn Areas an alternative to burning or placing the material into a landfill," Pohll continued.

Dates have been set for events throughout the county, but the exact locations will be set as each event approaches. The dates for each community are as follows:

Sun. Sept 7th - Packwood
Sat. Sept. 20th - Pe Ell
Sat. Sept 27th - Winlock

All residents of Lewis County are encouraged to plan ahead and participate in these free events. Residents can bring their yard waste and be prepared to unload their own materials at the site. Only yard waste will be accepted (leaves, grass clippings, branches, weeds, scotch broom, etc.). For more information, visit firewiselewiscounty.org or call Lewis County Firewise at 1-800-562-6130, ext. 2751.

Expansion of No-Burn Areas in Clark County

On January 1, 2008 the permanent No-Burn Areas of Ridgefield, La Center, Battle Ground and parts of Vancouver expanded to reflect the changes in Clark County's new Comprehensive Growth Management Plan, as approved on September 25, 2007. The Yacolt No-Burn Area will not be expanding at this time. Read more.

EPA Issues Final Rule for Paint Stripping
and Surface Coating Operations

Your facility may be subject to a new EPA rule for paint stripping and surface coating operations. This rule, titled National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Paint Stripping and Miscellaneous Surface Coating Operations at Area Sources, recently became final. For more information about this new rule, read the entire ruling (external PDF link).

Bright Idea
If every American household replaced just one light bulb with an ENERGY STAR qualified bulb, we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year, more than $600 million in annual energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars.

Compact fluorescent light bulbs use about 75% less energy, last up to 10 times longer and produce 90% less heat than standard incandescent bulbs. Using a compact fluorescent light bulb can save more than $30 in energy costs over the lifetime of the bulb.

For more information, visit EnergyStar.gov.

Funding to Assist Outdoor Burning Alternatives

The Washington Department of Ecology has received $2 million for a Coordinated Prevention Grant program to fund projects that provide alternatives to backyard burning of organic materials. The state legislature appropriated these funds to assist impacted urban growth areas of less than 5,000 population. The Southwest Clean Air Agency has notified affected communities about this potential funding and where they can receive assistance with the application process.

Turn your yard waste into a resource:

Compost or chip your yard debris
Use yard debris chips as mulch for weed control and water retention
Season limbs for use as firewood

For more information about the grant program and process, click here.

Update: Cleaner School Buses
Since the Washington State School Bus Retrofit Program was funded in 2004 by the Washington state legislature, more than 500 school buses in southwest Washington have received diesel oxidation catalysts. Thanks to this program, retrofitted buses now emit 30 percent less air pollution in the form of fine-particles coming out of the exhaust pipe.

The next step for this program will be to install Closed Crankcase Ventilation Systems (CCVS) on school buses. This equipment will reduce the amount of diesel fumes that build up inside the buses and will further protect the lungs of our school children.

Retrofits for Local Governments
The Southwest Clean Air Agency is beginning to expand its diesel emissions reduction program to local government fleets. Through funding from the Department of Ecology and the Southwest Clean Air Agency, diesel oxidation catalysts are planned to be installed on C-Tran, City of Vancouver, City of Longview and the Vancouver Fire Department vehicles.