SOUTH PORTLAND — Residents interested in joining the Clean Air Advisory Committee have until Tuesday, Oct. 15 to submit an application.
The committee will be made up of five members, with up to two representatives working in professions of environmental engineering, law, chemistry and public health. On Oct. 15, the council will select five members from the field through ranked-choice voting.
The council voted unanimously Sept. 10 to create a Clean Air Advisory Committee, re-purposing $30,000 from the $100,000 from the fiscal year 2020 Waterfront Master Plan to cover expenses. The $30,000 would be used to hire a facilitator and cover other costs, such as recording and broadcasting meetings.
Committee members will work with council to select the facilitator to guide meetings and work who will be required to attend City Council meetings when air quality is discussed.
The new committee will be tasked with compiling a list of potential air quality concerns within 30 days of its appointment. The group will address acute air quality issues and establish a means to obtain data on air quality and enforce standards.
Upon presentation of recommendations at a city council meeting, the committee will be dissolved unless otherwise reconsidered by the council. Interested applicants can submit through the city website.
South Portland has been grappling with air quality since several U.S. Environmental Protection Agency allegations that Global Partners LLC violated its air emissions license and emitted more volatile organic compounds than allowed from its petroleum tank facility at 1 Clark Road.
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