Air pollution is a serious problem in Northeast Wisconsin.  Our region suffers from a multitude of air emissions sources, which will increase as population grows.
 

The biggest air polluter is vehicle traffic.  Cars and trucks release a wide variety of toxic gases and particulates, and because we have so many of them, their combined health effects are high.  Our region is particularly impacted because of the large number of diesel trucks serving major manufacturers.  Diesel engines are very polluting and they've escaped many of the clean air regulations imposed on gasoline-powered cars. The vehicle pollution is compounded by the rapid urban growth and sprawl in Northeast Wisconsin.  More people are driving further.

Vehicle emissions include carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrous oxides, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), particulates and other combustion byproducts.  Escaped gasoline vapors contain a variety of petroleum pollutants.

Coal-fired power plants and large manufacturing businesses are two other major contributors to local air pollution.   Coal-burning is particularly dirty - releasing sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrous oxides, PAHs, radioactivity, mercury, arsenic, particulates, and a host of other trace toxic substances.   The industrial Fox River Valley (including the Green Bay area) is a significant regional air pollution source.

Why Does It Matter? 

Air pollution threatens public health and wildlife.   For example: in downtown Green Bay, the DNR and EPA estimate the public cancer risk due to air pollution is 1-in-a-1,000. 

In addition, dust and particulate matter can cause or aggravate serious respiratory problems in the young, the elderly, and sensitive individuals. 

Brown County’s overall asthma rate is 7% according to the 1997-2000 Family Health Survey by Wisconsin Dept. of Health and Family Services (DHFS). 

In 2000 and 2001, Brown County had 674 children age 9 and younger hospitalized due to serious respiratory problems (asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia and pleurisy), according to the DHFS online database, “Wisconsin Health Care Information.” 

Of 72 counties in Wisconsin, Brown County had the 2nd highest number of these hospitalizations, after Milwaukee County. 

In addition, the average duration of hospitalizations for child respiratory problems in Brown County is much higher than the rest of the state, indicating possible increased severity of the cases. 

In January 2003, we reported that Brown County ranks 3rd in the state  for toxic pollution linked to respiratory problems in Wisconsin.  From 1987 to 2000, more than 21 million pounds of respiratory toxins were released into Brown County’s air and water according to a report released by the Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group (WISPIRG). 

This equals approximately 617 dump truck loads, and unfortunately  is a gross underestimate of the true total releases. 

Air pollution also falls out to become toxic water pollution, with many types of contaminants now coming primarily from the air.  Dust and particulates often carry other contaminants with them. 

Budget Cuts Hamper DNR Air Enforcement and Permitting 

In December, CWAC joined with several other environmental and public health organizations to petition the EPA to withdraw the DNR’s authority to administer the federal clean air program, for failure by the state to collect fees from air pollution sources to properly fund the agency. 

Many environmental, conservation and health organizations called on Gov. Doyle to raise the fees in his new budget --- to allow DNR to hire additional air permit engineers.  Instead, Gov. Doyle cut 11.5 positions from that 100-person unit in DNR’s Air Management Program. 

Legislators have also helped discourage the permit fee increase by calling instead for a Legislative Audit of the DNR program.   The audit could take several months, perhaps beyond the time for finalizing the state budget, forcing action to wait another year.   Many of us believe the audit is unnecessary because past audits have already shown work overloads in this branch of DNR.  The turnover rate among DNR air engineers is high, a clear  indication of frustration and job dissatisfaction. 

Keep in mind that Governors Thompson and McCallum badly damaged the DNR over the years, with drastic budget cuts, and the elimination of 400 jobs in 1995 alone.  They also implemented several reorganizations that caused chaos and morale problems in the agency. 

The Air Program has repeatedly requested additional staff in past budget cycles to handle the permit workload, but the Republicans in the Legislature and Governor’s Office blocked the additions.   Industry lobbyists have successfully convinced them that DNR is simply “inefficient.” 

It looks like our air problems could get worse before they get better.   It’s a travesty that citizen groups like ours have to take matters into our own hands in order to protect our health.  We pay taxes to support the legislature and DNR, so they will protect us from pollution problems.  Instead, the legislature looks the other way while hundreds of air permit violations continue without penalty. 

At the same time, the Wisconsin Paper Council complains about DNR’s “excessive regulation.”  After an intense lobbying campaign this year, the Paper Council has cornered the Governor into promising to "streamline" the air and water pollution permitting processes in Wisconsin, to make it easier for these polluters to receive permits.  We'll post more on this soon....

Who Are Your Local Air Polluters?

Two national websites provide detailed data about larger facilities producing pollution in local communities.  Just type in your zipcode, and you may find more than you really wanted to know.

• The Scorecard, by Environmental Defense  (enter your zipcode at the right)

http://www.scorecard.org/

• Envirofacts Data Warehouse, by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

http://www.epa.gov/enviro/index.html

• How You Can Help Reduce Air Pollution
• Ozone Pollution
• Incineration Concerns
• Global Warming
• Links to More Air Pollution Information