On the day before the mid-term election, a big brown smoke-cloud was visible somewhere south of Port Hadlock — a “slash-fire” from one of the many land-clearing projects on this peninsula. While the blustery weather was clearly blowing it to the east, don't we account for the pollution?

The Olympic Region Clean Air Agency explained that, other than restrictions related to "urban growth boundaries and dry-season burn-bans, the fire marshal will issue a permit for fires large and small." In other words, our fire-smoke guidelines are mostly about proximity.

In the modern context of climate change, which doesn't recognize the difference between King County and Beijing, air quality/pollution laws should reflect the big picture. And the burden of behavioral adjustment should be shared accordingly.

The list of cultural modifications we've made as individual consumers seems like a much longer one than that of industry. Burning “slash” to clear land for development seems like one of those examples.

Get with the program.

Art James

Port Ludlow