I find this story too funny, http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071018/ZONE07/710180426/1008/NEWS01

Odor-rule crackdown urged
Activists ask Louisville to step up enforcement

By James Bruggers
jbruggers@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal

Neighborhood activists are pressing local pollution officials to more vigorously enforce Louisville's odor-control regulations.

Members and supporters of the group Rubbertown Emergency Action yesterday called on the Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District to base a compliance officer closer to western Louisville chemical plants.

The group said the district should keep a compliance officer on duty -- as opposed to on call -- overnight and on weekends, when neighbors say they often notice more emissions. And they asked why it has taken more than three years for the district to buy mobile air-monitoring equipment.

"We just want you to enforce the laws on the books," said Gracie Lewis, a western Louisville resident, at the Air Pollution Control Board meeting yesterday.

The pollution exacerbates her chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, she said, adding that when she calls the air pollution district to report a strong odor -- especially during evening hours -- officials don't respond until the next day. By then, she said, it's too late.

Johnny Hill, an assistant professor of theology at the Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, told the board that he was "appalled" by the quality of air in western Louisville. "This issue is at the center of many, many issues that continue to plague" that part of the city

It's the second time this year that Louisville residents have complained about district enforcement of odor regulations.

Earlier, it was people who lived in the Butchertown neighborhood who leveled complaints about the district's handling of smells -- in that case, from the Swift meat processing plant.

After yesterday's meeting, Art Williams, the district's director, defended his staff's odor enforcement efforts, while agreeing to review Rubbertown Emergency Action's recommendations.

He plugged the city's nationally recognized Strategic Toxic Air Reduction program, adopted in 2005, saying it is reducing harmful chemical emissions. But he also acknowledged confusion over which authorities people should call to report air pollution problems.

He said if people feel there's a public health emergency, they should first call metro government's 911 system, which would coordinate an emergency response, 24 hours a day. Other complaints about air quality should be made to the district by calling 574-6000, he said. After regular work hours, air quality complaints made to the district are directed to a staff member who carries a cell phone and decides whether an emergency exists and a call to 911 is warranted, Williams said.

He acknowledged the district doesn't routinely send compliance officers to investigate smells after work hours in part because of staffing constraints. But he said they follow up with investigations.

Rubbertown Emergency Action for several years has called for a more rapid response to episodes of strong odors, which can be associated with leaks or malfunctions at chemical plants. Sometimes, weather conditions can hold emissions closer to the ground.

Eboni Cochran, one of the group's leaders, cited as an example an odor complaint to the district made by her mother on the evening of Sept. 13. She said the district didn't send a compliance officer to investigate. Later that evening, the group's own air sampling found excessive levels of several regulated chemicals, including the carcinogen 1,3-butadiene, she said.

"If the pollution control board came out and investigated, they could actually cite someone," Cochran said.

Williams said he'd look into the events of Sept. 13 and report back to the air pollution board next month.

Cochran also questioned why the district hasn't followed up on a promise three years ago to buy mobile air-monitoring equipment to determine the concentrations of chemicals during pollution episodes.