Sep 22 - Air District Suspends Development of Compost Regulations

The San Joaquin Air Quality Management District has temporarily suspended its rulemaking for greenwaste composting. In response to comments submitted by CAW, the CIWMB and other stakeholders, the district has decided to reexamine the science behind the proposed rule and to reevaluate the effectiveness of the measures proposed.

The following is an excerpt form a district report released last week outlining the reasons for extending the rule adoption date:

"Based on new data, District staff has determined that the emissions from this source category are much less than estimated in the 2007 Ozone Plan. More importantly, the District is concerned over the lack of information on the effectiveness of the best management practices (BMPs). … District staff believes it is imperative to conduct further evaluation of the technical and economic feasibility of the proposed BMPs, as well as the likely environmental impacts of the draft rule prior to adoption."