Clean Air Act: Wildland and prescribed fires; public health and welfare impacts; interim air quality policy,

[Federal Register: May 21, 1998 (Volume 63, Number 98)]

[Notices]

[Page 27957]

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

[DOCID:fr21my98-93]

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-6100-1]

Interim Policy for Addressing Public Health and Welfare Impacts Caused by Wildland and Prescribed Fires in the Nation's Wildlands

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of availability.

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the EPA has issued an ``Interim Air Quality Policy on Wildland and Prescribed Fires.'' The policy addresses public health and welfare impacts caused by wildland and prescribed fires in the Nation's wildlands (areas with little development, such as forests and grasslands). The policy applies to all wildland and prescribed fires managed to achieve resource benefits on public, Indian and privately owned wildlands, regardless of the cause of ignition (e.g., lightning, land management decision, accidental, etc.) or purpose of the fire (e.g., resource management, hazard reduction, etc.). The policy does not apply to other open burning activities, such as burning at residential, commercial or industrial sites; open burning of land-clearing waste or construction debris. It also does not apply to open burning of agricultural waste, crop residue or land in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Conservation Reserve Program.

This is an interim policy for two reasons. First, EPA expects recommendations from the USDA based on input from USDA's Air Quality Task Force on how to address public health and welfare impacts caused by agricultural burning. Those recommendations may affect the Agency's understanding of fires in the wildlands versus agricultural fires. Second, until the final rules for implementing EPA's regional haze program are promulgated, it is not possible to formulate final policy with respect to the impact of wildland and prescribed fires on regional haze.

The policy was issued in response to plans by some Federal, tribal and State wildland owners/managers to significantly increase the use of wildland and prescribed fires to achieve resource benefits. The absence of fire effects, due to past management practices, has allowed plant species (e.g., trees and shrubs) that would normally be eliminated by fires to proliferate, vegetation to become dense and insect infestations to go unchecked. In response, wildland owners/managers plan to significantly increase their use of fires to correct these unhealthy conditions and to reduce the risk of wildfires to public and fire fighter safety. The policy integrates two public policy goals: (1) to allow fire to function, as nearly as possible, in its natural role in maintaining healthy wildland ecosystems; and (2) to protect public health and welfare by mitigating the impacts of air pollutant emissions on air quality and visibility.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions on the policy, contact Mr. Kenneth Woodard, U.S. EPA, MD-15, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, telephone (919) 541-5697, or Mr. Gary Blais, U.S. EPA, MD-15, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711, telephone (919) 541-3223.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The EPA does not directly regulate the use of fire within a State or on Indian lands. The EPA's authority is to enforce the Clean Air Act requirements to attain and maintain the national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) adopted to protect public health and welfare. This policy recommends that States/tribes implement smoke management programs (SMP's) to mitigate the public health and welfare impacts of fires managed for resource benefits. The goals of SMP's are to mitigate the nuisance and public safety hazards (e.g., on roadways and at airports, etc.) posed by smoke intrusions into populated areas; to prevent deterioration of air quality and NAAQS violations; and to address visibility impacts in mandatory Class I Federal areas. The SMP's establish procedures and requirements for minimizing air pollutant emissions and managing smoke dispersion.

Electronic Availability

A World Wide Web site has been developed for policy and guidance issued by the Office of Air and Radiation. The Uniform Resource Location for the home page of the web site is http://www.epa.gov/ttn/ oarpg. For assistance, the TTN Helpline is (919) 541-5384. For those persons without electronic capability, a copy may be obtained from Ms. Virginia Wyatt, MD-15, Air Quality Strategies and Standards Division, RTP NC 27711, telephone (919) 541-5628.

Dated: May 15, 1998. Jeffrey S. Clark, Acting Director, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards.

[FR Doc. 98-13616Filed5-20-98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560-50-P