Report: Current regulations will clear gorge air
Environmental regulations already in place will produce cleaner air in the Columbia River Gorge within a dozen years, state air-quality agencies conclude in a new report to be presented Tuesday to the Columbia River Gorge Commission.
Those include a federal rule that requires all vehicles to use low-sulfur diesel; the federal Regional Haze Rule, which requires dramatic improvements in visibility within national parks and wilderness areas; and tough new vehicle emission standards adopted by the Washington and Oregon legislatures.
"What we're saying is, we think 2018 will show things continuing to improve, just with what is in the works already," said Bob Elliott, executive director of the Southwest Clean Air Agency. The Vancouver-based agency is working with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality on a long-term study of the causes of gorge haze.
The new vehicle emission rules are expected to reduce emissions by up to 30 percent, Elliott said.
The low-sulfur diesel rule, which will take effect for diesel-powered cars Oct. 1 and for trucks, trains and barges over the next six years, will produce "a very significant drop" in diesel emissions, Elliott said.
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Report: Current regulations will clear gorge air
