ANCHORAGE — A federal grant will help switch out inefficient wood-burning stoves that are contributing to air pollution problems in Fairbanks.
The Environmental Protection Agency says the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation has been recommended for a $2.5 million grant for Fairbanks.
The grant is from the EPA’s Targeted Air Shed Grant Program, which focuses on the nation’s worst areas for pollutants.
The Fairbanks North Star Borough has recorded the nation’s highest level of fine particle pollution.
Fine particulate is a mix of solid particles and liquid droplets that can be inhaled deep in lungs. Fine particulate causes premature death in people suffering heart and lung diseases.
The EPA says the biggest source of fine particles are woodstoves and hydronic heaters used by many borough residents use to heat homes.
