Message from the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency – reprinted with permission
New law prompts significant change to residential burn bans Where there’s chimney smoke, there’s fire — and fines
November 24, 2008 — A new burn ban season is upon us and this one will be different from those in past falls and winters.
* The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency will be calling both Stage 1 and Stage 2 burn bans, often in sequence.
* Stage 2 burn bans are more restrictive than the more familiar Stage 1 burn bans and ban ALL wood burning, even from certified wood stoves and pellet stoves.
* Our Puget Sound region will likely have longer burn bans, and perhaps more of them.
* And more fines may be issued for people violating the bans.
What is prompting this change?
First, in late 2006, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) tightened the 24-hour health standard for fine particle pollution, also known as PM2.5. And earlier this year, our Washington State Legislature lowered the air-quality trigger for calling a burn ban to align with this new EPA standard.
The reason for these actions is to better protect public health because the soot and smoke that makes up these fine particles are associated with serious health effects. The tiny size of these pollutants allows them to be easily inhaled, bypassing the immune system and proceeding deep into the lungs, where they can cause respiratory and cardiovascular problems, including premature death.
So what’s this mean if you heat your home with wood or pellet fuel?
During a burn ban, we’re basically asking people to rely on their home’s other, cleaner source of heat (such as their furnace or electric baseboard heaters) for a few days until air quality improves, the risk to public health is diminished and a ban is cancelled.
If agency inspectors observe a burn ban violation, they will issue a Notice of Violation to the property owner and recommend a $1,000 penalty.
The rules for a Stage 1 burn ban are the same as in the past:
* No burning is allowed in wood-burning fireplaces, uncertified wood stoves or fireplace inserts, unless this is your only adequate source of heat.
* No visible smoke is allowed from any wood stove or fireplace, certified or not, beyond a 20-minute start-up period.
* All outdoor burning is prohibited, even in areas where outdoor burning is not permanently banned.
When a burn ban goes to Stage 2:
* NO burning is allowed in ANY wood-burning fireplaces, wood stoves or fireplace inserts (certified or uncertified) or pellet stoves, unless this is your only adequate source of heat. Natural gas and propane stoves or inserts ARE allowed.
* All outdoor burning is prohibited, even in areas where outdoor burning is not permanently banned.
* If our agency inspectors see any smoke being emitted from a chimney during a Stage 2 burn ban, they can assume a fireplace, wood or pellet stove is in use and a penalty is warranted.
Maybe you’re wondering what “adequate source of heat means.” Technically, this means the ability to maintain 70 degrees Fahrenheit at a point three feet above the floor in all normally inhabited areas of a dwelling. This is according to WAC 173-433-030 < www.ecy.wa.gov/pubs/wac173433.pdf >.
To make sure you are among the first to know when burn bans are issued and cancelled, or advised when weather conditions indicate a ban is likely, sign up for e-notification at www.pscleanair.org/signup .
You can also check burn-ban status by calling the Burn Ban InfoLine at 1-800-595-4341.
For more details about the burn ban changes and how we determine when a Stage 1 and Stage 2 burn ban is called, click to www.pscleanair.org/airq/burnban/background.aspx .
To learn about cleaner heating choices, including natural gas and propane stoves that can be used during a burn ban and work during a power outage, click to www.pscleanair.org/CleanHeating .
For tips on cleaner wood-burning techniques to follow when there is not a burn ban, click to www.pscleanair.org/BurningBasics .
To learn about the health impacts from wood smoke, click to www.pscleanair.org/actions/smoke.aspx .
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The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency offers e-mail notifications for several interest areas: Clean Air Action Network (burn bans, Smog Watches); monthly newsletter; burn bans; regulation updates; permit actions; and the Diesel Solutions program. You can read about each interest area at http://www.pscleanair.org/news/agencynews.aspx.
