Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency details permitting, enforcement and outreach work
June 05, 2026 | Spokane County, Washington
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Lisa Woodard, who handles communications and outreach for the Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency, and Executive Director April Westby outlined the agency’s core program areas and community outreach during Spokane County Spotlight.
The agency identified three primary public-facing efforts: operating an air-monitoring and forecasting system used to report hourly AQI and two-day forecasts; running a business registration and permitting program for new and existing facilities; and responding to complaints with inspections and enforcement as needed. The agency said it registers and inspects more than 600 facilities in Spokane County and receives about 550 complaints per year related to odors, outdoor burning, wood heating and similar concerns.
"We register businesses annually, and we do inspections on-site at their facility," Westby said. "Our inspectors do periodic compliance inspections ... our goal is really to serve as a resource and a partner agency for these businesses rather than just their local regulator."
On enforcement, staff said education is the first step but tickets and other enforcement tools are available when compliance is lacking. They named subject areas including outdoor burning rules, wood heating and asbestos-related requirements.
Outreach: for Clean Air Month the agency is running a 'Community Voices: Why Clean Air Matters' campaign of 30–60 second videos from tourism, parks, education and technology leaders, and it reported about 275 entries in its annual poster coloring contest for children. Staff encouraged residents to follow the agency’s social channels and check spokanecleanair.org for materials and updates.
The agency also emphasized indoor-air recommendations during smoke: investing in portable HEPA cleaners or using a box fan with a MERV-13-equivalent filter as an affordable option, and replacing central-air filters after smoke events.
No policy or regulatory changes were announced during the interview.
The agency identified three primary public-facing efforts: operating an air-monitoring and forecasting system used to report hourly AQI and two-day forecasts; running a business registration and permitting program for new and existing facilities; and responding to complaints with inspections and enforcement as needed. The agency said it registers and inspects more than 600 facilities in Spokane County and receives about 550 complaints per year related to odors, outdoor burning, wood heating and similar concerns.
"We register businesses annually, and we do inspections on-site at their facility," Westby said. "Our inspectors do periodic compliance inspections ... our goal is really to serve as a resource and a partner agency for these businesses rather than just their local regulator."
On enforcement, staff said education is the first step but tickets and other enforcement tools are available when compliance is lacking. They named subject areas including outdoor burning rules, wood heating and asbestos-related requirements.
Outreach: for Clean Air Month the agency is running a 'Community Voices: Why Clean Air Matters' campaign of 30–60 second videos from tourism, parks, education and technology leaders, and it reported about 275 entries in its annual poster coloring contest for children. Staff encouraged residents to follow the agency’s social channels and check spokanecleanair.org for materials and updates.
The agency also emphasized indoor-air recommendations during smoke: investing in portable HEPA cleaners or using a box fan with a MERV-13-equivalent filter as an affordable option, and replacing central-air filters after smoke events.
No policy or regulatory changes were announced during the interview.
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