University receives Air Compliance Excellence Award

UNC Charlotte is the recipient of the inaugural Air Compliance Excellence Award from the Mecklenburg County Air Quality (MCAQ); the honor is for local industry air quality permit compliance, pollution reduction and air quality improvement.

“UNC Charlotte is among one of the largest facilities governed by MCAQ. The award means we do a good job of maintaining, reporting and monitoring our burned fossil fuels and work to be good stewards of the environment which affects all citizens of this county and state,” said Tom Stutts, facilities mechanical engineer in the Facilities Management Department.

According to Jason Rayfield, Mecklenburg County air quality program manager, winners had to meet all air quality permit terms for an entire year, including timely submittal of reports, notifications and fee payments; required emissions testing completion; a compliant annual inspection and no recorded notices of violation or nuisance order complaints.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sets levels for hazardous and toxic air pollution; Mecklenburg County air quality permits are based on this information. The University reports on pollution-emitting equipment, particularly hot water and steam boilers, a fuel tank and emergency generators.

“The University strives to be a role model in all areas of sustainability. Thorough reporting and compliance with environmental regulations is an important part of that effort. We take this responsibility very seriously,” said Phil Jones, associate vice chancellor of facilities management.