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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Feb. 16, 2000
00-020
Contact: Jani Gilbert, Public Information Manager, 509-456-4464; pager, 509-226-5380
SPOKANE - In an ongoing effort to decrease air pollution from open field burning in Eastern Washington, the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) has issued two more fines to growers who did not have valid permits to burn.
Steve Cooper of Mesa was fined $10,000 for burning 65 acres of grass-seed stubble. The charred acreage was spotted during a surveillance over-flight on Aug. 16, 1998.
In addition to burning without a permit, Cooper was fined because it is illegal in Washington to burn grass-seed fields.
Burning grass-seed fields was phased out because a viable alternative to burning was identified and certified in 1996. State law does not allow Ecology to phase out the burning of other crops in the same manner.
In addition, Ecology has issued a $2,000 fine to Tom Bailie, also of Mesa, for burning approximately 30 acres of irrigated wheat stubble without a permit on Aug.11, 1998. This active fire was observed during a surveillance over-flight that day.
Since August 1999, Ecology has now levied a total of 22 fines, totaling $104,000, for illegal field burning in 1998 and 1999.
Some of the fines have been paid and some are in various stages of appeal.
Cooper and Bailie have 15 days in which to file an application for relief with Ecology, or they may appeal to the state's Pollution Control Hearings Board within 30 days.
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
