The Fruit Growers News


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Farmers are Committed to Air Quality Improvement


California farmers, who daily make significant and positive contributions to air quality throughout the state, are fully committed to complying with Title V permit requirements of the federal Clean Air Act. The California Farm Bureau Federation (CFBF) said new rules to require permits on certain types of farms, while creating more paperwork and costs for farmers, will not deter their goal to improve air quality in the Central Valley and in other areas. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released the first of two permits that will provide EPA with details of emissions from stationary sources. The first permit is due to EPA by May 14 and is applicable for stationary diesel engines. The second permit deadline is Aug. 1 and will apply to the remaining agricultural emissions from stationary sources that are used in the growing of crops and the raising of animals and fowl. Since EPA issued its final rule last year, Farm Bureau has worked to try to reduce the amount of paperwork required in the application and guidance documents. Beginning May 14, farmers who exceed emission thresholds in their air district from operation of stationary diesel engines are required to file applications with EPA for Title V permits. Emission standards vary among the state’s 35 air management districts. “We encourage all farmers to call or e-mail EPA immediately to see if they fall under the federal Title V permit requirements,” said Cynthia Cory, CFBF director of environmental affairs. Cory urged farmers to prepare for the additional paperwork and costs to comply with the Title V program. “The Title V permitting program is going to be a heavy regulatory burden for many growers,” said Cory. “No one knows what the full impact of these new permits will be on agriculture at this early stage.” Dozens of common practices on farms help improve air quality, according to Cory. They include the planting of cover crops, vegetation that grows between rows of vines and orchard trees, to reduce soil erosion. Other methods include the chipping and shredding of prunings, establishment of wind-breaks, adoption of newer engines, use of no-till and low-till cultivation, watering of roads and the growing of crops that scrub damaging ozone from the atmosphere. “Farmers have often been misunderstood and mischaracterized in the air quality debate,” said Cory. “Farmers from one end of the state to the other make sustained and significant contributions to air quality that often go unnoticed by the public. Generations of family farmers have made a strong commitment to protect the land and that commitment extends to air quality as well.” Information about the Title V air quality permits is available from EPA at www.epa.gov/region09/air/ca/title5.html Farmers can also call the EPA Region 9 office in San Francisco at (800) 810-9798 or e-mail farmpermits@epa.gov to learn more about the program. CFBF, based in Sacramento, represents more than 90,000 member families in 56 counties.