NWCAA Adopts New Strategic Vision

Clean air is essential to the health and well-being of people and communities. Even relatively small increases in outdoor air pollution can worsen chronic disease, limit people’s ability to safely work and recreate outside, and place added strain on health care systems. Good air quality also supports a strong regional economy by making communities more livable and attractive to residents and businesses, and by sustaining the natural and working landscapes that underpin many local industries. Protecting air quality requires sustained stewardship, with local governments, residents, and businesses working together to safeguard the air everyone shares.

The Northwest Clean Air Agency (NWCAA) plays a central role in this shared effort to protect and maintain clean air across the region. NWCAA is the primary governmental air quality authority working to protect clean air across Island, San Juan, Skagit, and Whatcom counties in northwest Washington state. Established in 1967 under the Washington Clean Air Act, the Agency works to protect air quality by implementing pollution prevention and control regulations, monitoring and reporting regional and local air quality, and engaging jurisdictions, organizational partners, and community members to advance collective solutions.

As a regulator, NWCAA implements federal, state, and local clean air regulations for stationary sources of air pollution. These sources include industrial, commercial, agricultural, renovation, and demolition activities, as well as residential wood stoves and outdoor burning. Beyond regulatory implementation, the agency provides air quality data and information, community outreach and education, and pollution reduction assistance to help residents and businesses reduce pollution and protect public health.

NWCAA’s work is supported by a combination of regulatory fees, federal and state grants, local government funding, and enforcement penalties. Much of the Agency’s revenue is restricted to regulatory implementation activities, so securing flexible funding sources is key to expanding NWCAA’s work to provide localized air quality information, voluntary pollution prevention assistance, and proactive community engagement.

NWCAA’s jurisdiction spans diverse coastal and inland landscapes—including islands, agricultural and forested areas, industrial facilities and ports, and growing population centers. The region generally enjoys good air quality, but local and seasonal sources can temporarily degrade conditions. Wintertime air inversions trap pollution near the ground, creating localized pollution hotspots and worsening air quality, particularly in rural valleys. In addition, wildfire smoke from fires inside and outside the region has become an increasingly significant challenge during the summer months.

Since 1967, sustained efforts by NWCAA, its regulated sources, and the community have substantially reduced pollution from stationary sources, which now meet established ambient air quality standards. As a result, the region’s air quality challenges are increasingly driven by diffuse pollution sources, such as wildfires and transportation, that are less suited to regulatory control and outside NWCAA’s regulatory authority. While NWCAA does not directly regulate many of these sources, it can play several important roles in addressing their impacts regionally and contributing to broader state and national efforts. Climate change and population growth are amplifying these pressures, lengthening wildfire seasons, intensifying smoke exposure, and increasing emissions from mobile sources.

To meet the challenges of this evolving landscape over the next five years, NWCAA will complement its strong regulatory programs by expanding community air quality monitoring, supporting voluntary pollution prevention, inspiring action through enhanced community engagement, and fostering cross-sector partnerships that unlock new clean air solutions.

NWCAA advances its mission by operating across several core roles that together define how the agency works to protect clean air. These roles reflect both its regulatory foundation and the broader set of functions needed to address today’s air quality challenges. They provide a framework for understanding how the agency approaches its work and where it brings value.

Regulator: Implementing clean air regulations to limit pollution from stationary sources and ensure compliance with federal, state, and local air quality standards.

Air Quality Resource: Providing best-available scientific data and technical expertise to inform decisions and actions by policymakers, businesses, and the public.

Community Educator: Helping residents and businesses understand air quality issues, health impacts, and actions they can take to reduce pollution and protect their health and the environment.

Solutions Advocate: Promoting effective policies, programs, and practices that prevent pollution and advance science-based clean air solutions.

Partnership Broker: Bringing together people and organizations to advance air quality solutions that require collaboration and coordinated action.