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County staff propose taking air-quality program in-house; resolution, rule adoption and EMC certification planned
Summary
Air-quality staff proposed creating a Buncombe County air-quality program, amending the interlocal agreement with Asheville to allow termination with 30 days’ notice, creating an advisory council, and starting a 30-day public comment period; timeline tied to City Council action, North Carolina EMC certification and a July county adoption date.
Ashley Featherstone of the county’s air-quality team presented a plan to transition the local air-quality program from a city–county interlocal arrangement to a county-run program. Featherstone said three actions are required: adoption of a county resolution to create the program; establishment of a county Air Quality Advisory Council to replace the existing governing board; and adoption of air-quality regulations under county authority with a required 30-day public-notice period.
Featherstone summarized a timeline: post the county’s public notice on June 17; the City of Asheville is scheduled to meet June 23 to extend the interlocal agreement during the transition period; the county would give notice to start the 30-day comment period on June 24; the North Carolina Environmental Management Commission (EMC) certification request is scheduled July 9; and the county could adopt the regulations at its July 21 meeting with a final transition on July 24. Featherstone said the changes are intended to avoid any lapse in permitting and enforcement and that most current governing-board members indicated they would be willing to transition to the new advisory council.
Commissioners asked whether bylaws and appointments would come back to the board; Featherstone said the committee may draft bylaws subject to county legal review and that appointments would follow the county’s normal cadence. When asked about local pollution concerns—ground-level ozone and particulate matter—Featherstone said the county is currently in compliance with applicable federal standards, the county has added sensors after Hurricane Helen, and an additional ozone site will be installed.
