State proposes splitting Fairbanks-area air pollution zone, separating North Pole

Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Randy Bates has proposed splitting the Fairbanks North Star Borough's fine-particle pollution zone into separate Fairbanks and North Pole areas, in a notice published Friday.

The line would run roughly along Badger Road. North Pole and nearby neighborhoods have ongoing winter violations of the federal fine-particle standard, while the city of Fairbanks, Goldstream Valley and surrounding areas currently meet it, the department says. It says the split would "better match local conditions with local solutions."

The split alone wouldn't bring immediate changes to any household or heating device, according to the department. Over time, North Pole could get priority for help with stove replacement, weatherization or natural gas hookups, and could see limits or deadlines for some older wood stoves. Fairbanks could face fewer restrictions than if it stayed tied to North Pole's air quality. Some assistance programs require removing or disabling older stoves.

The Environmental Protection Agency first found part of the borough out of compliance with its 24-hour limit of 35 micrograms of fine particles per cubic meter of air in 2009. The area missed deadlines to meet it at the end of 2015 and 2019. Under the state plan EPA approved last November, the area now has until Dec. 31, 2027, and the 2020 design value at North Pole's Hurst Road monitor was 64.9 micrograms.

The department first asked EPA to split the area in November 2015, then asked it to hold that request in June 2018. The new proposal replaces it.

Public hearings are Nov. 17 in Fairbanks and North Pole, and written comments are due Nov. 30. The department could then adopt the split, a different version of it or no change, and any adopted rule would go to EPA for approval.