MOUNT VERNON – Skagit County Commissioner Ron Wesen is the new chair of the Northwest Clean Air Agency Board of Directors for 2019.
Wesen succeeds 2018 chair Brian Heinrich, the City of Bellingham’s deputy administrator.
NWCAA enforces federal, state and local air quality regulations in Island, Skagit and Whatcom counties.
“We live in a beautiful area of the world. NWCAA is responsible for the air quality we have in Whatcom, Skagit, and Island counties. Because of my experience on the NWCAA board, I am better able to explain to our community what steps are taken to monitor air quality in our area,” said Wesen (pronounced “Wee-sen”) of his role with NWCAA.
The NWCAA Board of Directors has seven members, including six who represent the three counties and the three largest cities (Bellingham, Mount Vernon and Oak Harbor) in the agency’s jurisdiction. The board appoints a seventh member to fill an at-large position.
The 2019 Board of Directors:
Skagit County: County Commissioner Ron Wesen, chair
Whatcom County: County Council member Satpal Sidhu, vice chair
Bellingham: City of Bellingham deputy administrator Brian Heinrich
Island County: County Commissioner Janet St. Clair (replaces former County Commissioner Richard Hannold)
Oak Harbor: Mayor Robert Severns
Mount Vernon: City Council member Mary Hudson (replaces former City Council member Joe Lindquist)
At-large: Terry Nyman of Mount Vernon
The Northwest Clean Air Agency is responsible for enforcing federal, state and local air quality regulations in Island, Skagit, and Whatcom counties. In addition to permitting and regulating industrial sources of air pollution, the agency provides services and information related to asbestos, indoor air quality, outdoor burning, wood stoves, and fireplaces. More information about the agency is available at www.nwcleanairwa.gov.