"Tougher wood-burning law in works
By Charles Geraci
With the Environmental Protection Agency’s recent revision of air quality standards, the Bear River Health Department wants greater restrictions on wood burning during “red air” days.
The current ordinance, adopted by the Board of Health in 2002, allows wood burning until pollution levels reach 53 micrograms per cubic meter of PM 2.5. However, the EPA issued a new 24-hour standard last September of 35 micrograms, previously set at 65.
With the Health Department calling red air days when PM 2.5 levels are in the high 20s and early 30s, officials say the ordinance is outdated.
“If we’re going to ask people not to drive their cars and warn them about health effects, we should also not have people burning their wood burning stoves on those days,” said Dr. Ed Redd, medical director for the Health Department. “There’s good science out there that shows that PM (particulate matter) levels of 35 and above are harmful to people’s health. With the new standard the way it is, we’re trying to make the air as healthy as possible.”
At Tuesday’s Board of Health meeting, Redd noted the agency has received calls from neighbors of people burning on red air days, but the Health Department has been unable to take action because of the ordinance, which stipulates penalties on three levels. First time offenders receive a warning. The second violation in two years is subject to a class-B misdemeanor, and on the third offense, a class-A misdemeanor citation is issued.
Redd told the board that fixing the wood burning problem during red air days is part of the solution to minimizing PM 2.5 pollution.
Grant Koford, an environmental scientist with the Health Department, said the agency will take the issue Tuesday to the Air Quality Task Force, which will provide a recommendation to the Board of Health."