Plant Hammond is cranking up its soot scrubber; Temple-Inland is holding the line on emissions; and the Greater Rome Chamber of Commerce is launching a partnership with The Clean Air Campaign.

The city of Rome’s potential venture with biodiesel fuel made from residents’ used cooking oil was another offering laid on the table Monday during an informal air quality committee meeting at the Chamber offices.

“There’s not one silver bullet that’s going to cure everything. It’s going to take a cumulative effort,” said Assistant City Manager Sammy Rich.

Chamber President and CEO Al Hodge said a July 28 seminar by The Clean Air Campaign also is being planned for local businesses and industries.

“They work with employers on initiatives to get workers out of cars, to lower emissions,” Hodge said.

Meanwhile, the county’s two largest environmental permit-holders are anchoring the committee formed to focus on improving local air quality.

Calvin Staudt of Temple-Inland said the company installed a new nitrogen oxide (NOx) monitor in May and is gathering data from its emissions.

“We’re continuing to operate within our permit limits,” he said.

Georgia Power’s Plant Hammond is now running its low-NOx burners year-round, along with a scrubber that removes the pollutant from emissions, compliance team leader Tammy Maroney said.

The plant also is using biodiesel in its tractors and has converted a small unit to burn biomass — wood — as a substitute for 10 percent of the coal.

Maroney said the experiment is working well, and “we’re progressing with our studies” to further reduce smog from the operation.