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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - May 4, 1999
99-097
Contact: Joye Redfield-Wilder, public information manager, (509)
575-2610
Donna L. Smith, Air Quality inspector, (509) 454-7660
YAKIMA - A Kittitas County landowner’s fine for burning thousands of tires last year has been reduced to $12,200, following a review by the Washington State Department of Ecology, (Ecology).
In applying for relief from the $15,500 penalty issued earlier this year, Mike Alberg of Ellensburg provided a reduced cost estimate for disposing of the tires that he had illegally burned.
Alberg was penalized for burning an estimated 6,000 automobile tires between Jan. 14-16, 1998, on property he owns near the town of Kittitas. Ecology investigated the fire at the request of Kittitas County authorities.
Specific guidelines are followed when penalties are calculated, and they include an amount to cover the cost of proper disposal, said Donna Smith, an air-quality inspector for Ecology.
"It is important that violators gain no economic benefit from illegal practices that can harm the environment," said Smith. "In this case, Mr. Alberg was able to provide a written estimate from a firm that could have properly disposed of the tires at a rate $3,300 less than we had estimated, so we reduced the fine accordingly."
Tire fires emit an array of toxic air pollutants and leave behind potentially dangerous residue that can leach into surface water or ground water or become a part of the atmosphere as toxic dust. Alberg still has not cleaned up the residue that resulted from his tire fire.
According to state law, only natural vegetation can be burned in an outdoor fire. Citizens with more than 800 tires on their property must have a solid-waste permit from their local health district. However, even small tire piles need attention to prevent inherent problems, including fires.
Alberg may appeal the reduced penalty to the Pollution Control Hearings Board.
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
