ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Friday, November 29, 1996              TAG: 9611290050
SECTION: VIRGINIA                 PAGE: C4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: MAG POFF STAFF WRITER

ROANOKE'S AIR QUALITY MAY NOT PASS ONE LIST DOESN'T HAVE CITY, BUT A LATER ONE INCLUDES IT

Roanoke may be on the list of communities covered by new air pollution control measures issued by the Environmental Protection Agency. But, on the other hand, it may not.

Wednesday, it appeared that Roanoke was the only metropolitan area in Virginia to escape the list of communities that must take steps to comply with new rules that will be prepared to cover emission of particles.

But then the EPA issued a new list of additional communities nationwide "that would not meet standards for emission of particles under the EPA proposal."

The cities of Roanoke and Bristol were on the second list. The EPA specified that the list covered the cities, but it did not say the surrounding counties were included.

Bob Saunders, head of the Roanoke office of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, was mystified Thursday.

"I don't understand that," Saunders said, unless the EPA "has some data we don't have."

Measuring devices in the Roanoke Valley show that the number of particles in the atmosphere meet the new EPA standards, he said.

The only exception is one measuring device in Vinton that is monitored by a Midwestern university rather than by state air quality officials.

Nor had he received information that the EPA had changed its standard recently.

"From everything I've gotten from the Richmond office and from everything I've gotten out of the EPA, Roanoke is not affected," Saunders said.

He was in no position on Thanksgiving Day to check it out with state and federal officials.

If the valley is included, he said, industries will have to tighten controls on their emissions. Particle emissions are industry-based, he said; they do not involve motor vehicles.

City Manager Bob Herbert said he had received no notification that Roanoke had been included on such a list. "I didn't know about it," Herbert said. "I really don't have anything to say."

He said he would have no idea what might be involved if Roanoke is included in the new air pollution control rules. He knew of nobody on his staff who had information about the problem.

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