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State representative: new dust-mitigation law funds two air-quality inspectors and requires pit signage
Summary
State Rep. Stephanie Grishas told the Genola council a recently passed dust-mitigation bill raises industry fees to pay for two additional air-quality inspectors and requires aggregate pits to post contact and permit information; industry representatives said the sector will pay the fees and participate in working groups to improve mitigation.
State Rep. Stephanie Grishas told the Genola Town Council that a dust-mitigation bill passed during the recent legislative session will raise industry compliance fees to finance the hiring of two additional air-quality inspectors assigned to respond to complaints from communities near aggregate operations.
"What that did was it raised the fees, the compliance fees for the industry, to be able to actually allow DAQ to hire 2 new inspectors," Grishas said, summarizing the bill’s key provisions and the anticipated local impact.
Why it matters: residents and council members have complained for months about dust from nearby pits. Grishas said the law also requires aggregate operations to post signage with permit numbers and regulator contact information, giving neighbors a direct way to report problems.
Industry representative Dave Callas of the Critical Infrastructure Material Coalition told the council the fee increase will be borne by aggregate producers, not municipalities or general taxpayers. "This is a fee that's being placed on the aggregate companies...so the industry is paying for this," he said, noting the new inspectors will focus on aggregate operations responding to community concerns.
Grishas and Callas also described additional interim and longer-term steps. Signage with permit numbers and contact information will go up on pits soon; the earliest fee revenue collections begin July 1. Hiring the inspectors will take additional time—Grishas said the positions are expected to be filled likely next summer as the agencies recruit and budget. Both speakers said they will continue working on complementary measures during the interim, including exploring on-site water reuse for dust control and making mitigation plans more accessible to the public.
Local enforcement and permit control remain split: council members asked whether cities can enforce dust limits or revoke a pit permit. Callas explained that local jurisdictions issue conditional-use permits and can enforce permit conditions on land-use issues, while the state Division of Air Quality is the primary authority for air-quality rules and may issue warnings, violations or, ultimately, shutdown notices for noncompliance.
What’s next: Grishas encouraged the council to report complaints and to monitor signage and the new inspectors’ deployment. The council also plans a site visit with state staff to discuss monitor placement and public access to mitigation plans.
