Environment Canterbury Commissioners approve proposed Air Plan

At today’s council meeting Environment Canterbury Commissioners approved the proposed Canterbury Air Regional Plan (proposed Air Plan) to be released for public notification and submissions on 28 February 2015.

The proposed Air Plan is the culmination of a long-term process to work with the community on an effective strategy to meet the national environmental standards and ensure everyone has cleaner, healthier air to breathe.

The proposed Air Plan includes measures to manage air quality through reducing pollution caused by home heating, industry, outdoor burning, odour and dust.

In mid-2014 an Air Plan Review Discussion document was released outlining some of the proposed changes and inviting public feedback, which informed the further development of the proposed Air Plan.

Notification of the proposed Air Plan provides further opportunity for people to have their say by making a submission. It will be publically notified on 28 February 2015 and formal submissions must be made to Environment Canterbury by 1 May 2015.

David Bedford, Environment Canterbury Commissioner with responsibility for air, said the proposed Air Plan will have an impact on everyone.
“Air quality is poor in Canterbury urban areas and something needs to be done about it. Poor air quality can have a significant effect on our health and it particularly affects the most vulnerable people. Environment Canterbury has a strategy to achieve clean air targets and reviewing the Air Plan is an important part of this.

“We are also focused on working with our partners on reducing household wood burner emissions, and requiring better management of odour, dust and rural burning.

“Science shows home heating is still the greatest contributor to winter air pollution in Canterbury urban areas but being able to burn wood is important to many people. The proposed Air Plan provides a clear pathway for this to happen through a combination of better burning and new technology,” he said.

Many people have already made changes to reduce pollution from home heating and air quality has been improving.

The proposed Air Plan builds on past work and introduces further region-wide home heating measures that require people to burn better and transitions households to cleaner more efficient home heating options over time. These measures will require wood burner users to use good quality fuel and transition to cleaner burning technology over time.

There are also proposed measures to improve the management of rural burn-offs around towns, urban outdoor burning and new requirements for dust, and odour and smoke management plans where appropriate.

“We believe the improvement in Canterbury’s air quality has been due to the community taking ownership of air quality issues and thinking about what they can do to improve it,” said David Bedford.

“While home heating has been a particular focus we recognise that land managers, industry and large businesses also have an important role to play. Improving air quality is everyone’s job – from town to country – so it’s important that people have their say,” he said.

Copies of the proposed Air Plan will be available at Environment Canterbury’s Christchurch, Timaru and Kaikoura offices, public libraries and at www.ecan.govt.nz/airplan where online submissions can be made.

The notification of the Proposed Air Plan is part of Environment Canterbury’s review of the operative Air Plan for Canterbury (Chapter 3 of the Canterbury Natural Resources Regional Plan). Chapter 3: Air Quality of the NRRP provides the management framework for the region and gives effect to the National Environmental Standard for Air Quality. Once the proposed Air Plan becomes operative, Chapter 3 of the Natural Resources Regional Plan will be revoked.

ends

© Scoop Media