Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
DEQ tells committee wildfire smoke dwarfs other sources; EPA tightened PM2.5 standard to 9 µg/m3
Summary
DEQ Air Quality Bureau Chief Bo Wilkins told the committee wildfire emissions are by far the largest PM2.5 source in Montana, DEQ expanded monitoring with federal grant funding and the EPA’s 2024 revision of the PM2.5 standard (12 → 9 µg/m3) will prompt area designations and potential nonattainment planning for some communities.
Bo Wilkins, Air Quality Bureau Chief at the Department of Environmental Quality, briefed the House Natural Resources Committee on the state’s approach to smoke and PM2.5.
Wilkins said the Air Quality Bureau focuses on PM2.5—particles smaller than 2.5 microns that can penetrate deep into lungs and the bloodstream—and that wildfire smoke is the dominant source of PM2.5 statewide. He cited multi‑year averages and slide examples showing large year‑to‑year variation (the transcript references roughly 30,000 tons in 2020 and about 300,000 tons in 2021), and said an average of roughly 120,000 tons of PM2.5 over the last three years puts wildfire emissions orders of magnitude higher than the state's largest regulated industrial emitter (cited in the presentation as about 1,250 tons per year).
DEQ described expansion of the regulatory monitoring network with a federal grant (new permanent monitors in Dillon, Cut Bank, Glendive, Glasgow and…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
