About our agency

Here you will find information about:

• Our agency's mission
• Our board of directors
• Our advisory council
• Our agency's funding
• Staff contacts

Our agency's mission -- clearing the air

The mission of the Puget Sound Air Pollution Control Agency (PSAPCA) is to protect our air resources for the health of current and future generations by fostering individual responsibility and regulatory accountability.

PSAPCA was established by state law in 1967 (RCW Chap. 70.94). Our job is to help provide Puget Sound citizens with clean air. To do this, we enforce federal, state and local air pollution laws and regulations in King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish counties. Our policies and programs are designed to meet and maintain air quality standards, protect human health, prevent injury to plant and animal life and protect Puget Sound's panoramic views.

Our jurisdiction spans 6,300 square miles and is home to about 3 million people -- more than half the state's population. PSAPCA works in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Washington State Department of Ecology, industry, local jurisdictions and private citizens.

Today, you can't see air pollution as easily as you could 25 years ago. Early air pollution control focused on particulate matter, because it was visible and more easily controlled than gases, such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds. In the federal Clean Air Act of 1970, PSAPCA's role was expanded to include responsibility for reducing these less visible pollutants with known health effects.

These days, factory smokestacks belching thick black smoke are a thing of the past. That's because of pollution control equipment in place at large factories such as cement plants, paper and pulp mills.

Air quality today has more to do with what you and I do in our personal lives, especially in the ways we commute, heat our homes and dispose of our garbage and yard waste.

Our board of directors

PSAPCA's board of directors is composed of representatives from each of the four counties in our jurisdiction, including a representative from the largest city in each county, and one member representing the public-at-large.  The board meets the second Thursday of every month at 9 a.m. at the agency's offices .

Our board of directors:

•  Margaret Pageler, Seattle City Councilmember, Chairman

• Ron Sims, King County Executive

• Dave Somers, Snohomish County Councilman, District 5

• Doug Sutherland, Pierce County Executive
  
  
• Charlotte Gariddo, Kitsap County Commissioner
  
  

• Lynn S. Horton, Mayor, City of Bremerton

• Ed Hansen, Mayor, City of Everett

• Brian Ebersole, Mayor, City of Tacoma

• Janet Chalupnik, Public-at-Large
  

Our advisory council

PSAPCA's advisory council is composed of individuals representing large and small business, non-regulated business, transportation, health & science, tribal interests, fire officials, the environmental community and the public-at-large. The role of the advisory council is to provide counsel and input on agency programs and regulations.

The advisory council meets the last Wednesday of every month at 9 a.m. at the agency's offices.

The advisory council members are:

Jane Q. Koenig, Ph.D, Public-at-Large, King County (University of Washington, School of Public Health)

Michael Shepard, Public-at-Large, Kitsap County

Michelle Jones, Public-at-Large, Pierce County

Grady Helseth, Public-at-Large, Snohomish County (Washington Car Club Council)

Mike Cassidy, Construction (Long Services Corp.)

Marina Cofer-Wildsmith, M.A., Education

Rodger Herbst, Environment

Connie Lewis, Environment/Transportation (URS Greiner, Inc.)

Chief Chauncey Sauer, Fire Chiefs' Association, (Snohomish Co. F.D. #11)

Kenneth Casey, M.D., Health (Virginia Mason Medical Center)

Hannah Kimball, Industry - Large (Environmental Operations, The Boeing Co.)

Greg Tisdel, Industry - Small/Medium (Tiz's Door, Everett)

David Nemens, Vice Chair, Non-Regulated Business (David Nemens Assoc., Inc.)

Vacant, Tribal

Our agency's funding



The agency is funded by a combination of sources including:

• Registration fees and operating permits from businesses
  
• Federal, state and local grants
  
• Fees paid by cities and counties
  
• Fees for Notice of Construction (pre-construction permits) and asbestos removal permits

Contributions from cities and counties works out to about 31 cents per person per year, while the smallest registration fee paid by any business is $141 per year. Annual fees for cities and counties are calculated proportionally based on the population count of the prior year and the assessed valuation provided by the county.

Civil penalties are paid by businesses and/or individuals who have been found to be in violation of air quality laws and regulations. These funds are used exclusively to pay for agency educational programs, such as our K-12 education and community outreach programs and our web site. These funds are not used to pay agency salaries or operating costs.

Staff contacts

If you have a specific question or concern, please feel free to contact the staff member who can best serve your individual needs. Contact the individuals listed below directly by dialing (206) 689 and then the four-digit extension listed next to the name or 1-800-552-3565 followed by the four-digit extension at the answer prompt. The 1-800-number is only accessible in King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish counties in Washington state.

Agency staff are listed alphabetically by department. Are you uncertain about who you need to speak with?  General questions can be answered by our customer service representatives at our main number, (206) 343-8800  or 1-800-552-3565.  

The following are expertise areas of our staff.  You may go directly to the area that interests you, or scroll through the complete list of staff contacts.

Source Information

Permitting & Absestos Notification

Registration

Emission Inventories

Air Quality Planning

Other Compliance Related Activities

Inspection staff

Registering an air quality complaint

Engineering staff contacts

If there currently is an Air Quality Call to Action, Burn Ban or Smog Watch in effect and you are a member of the media, you can reach us on evenings or weekends via pager (206) 663-8039 or dial our main agency number, (206) 343-8800.  Our answering service can help you reach us.

Registering an air quality complaint

For complaints about indoor and outdoor smoke, odors or other air quality problems, please call our main agency number, (206) 343-8800 or 1-800-552-3565.  

Please let the customer service representative know that you wish to log a complaint.  The representative can explain our complaint response procedure to you.  You can complain anonymously, but providing your name, address and phone number will make it easier for us to follow up the problem with you.  The source of the problem, whether it be a business or a neighbor, will not be informed who has reported the problem to us.

Send bouquet Kiev, sending flowers to Ukraine, flowers Nikolaev. Updated January 1998

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