Posted on 01/24/2015 7:09:05 PM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
In an effort to improve air quality across Utah during the winter season, the Utah Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has proposed a seasonal wood burn ban, much to the chagrin of many locals.
The ban would eliminate solid fuel burning in fireplaces and wood/coal stoves from Nov. 1 to March 15, except for homeowners whose homes are heated solely by wood.
The proposal comes after Gov. Gary Herbert requested the the Air Quality Board explore options for improving wintertime air quality along Utah's Wasatch Front and Cache Valley.
The region suffers from winter temperature inversions, which occur when a dense layer of cold air becomes trapped under a layer of warm air.
The warm layer of air acts like a lid, trapping pollutants underneath. The Wasatch Front valleys and their surrounding mountains act like a bowl, keeping this cold air in the valleys.
The snow-covered valley floors reflect rather than absorb the heat from the sun, preventing the normal vertical mixing of warm and cold air.
"Additionally, high pressure sitting over the region during the wintertime results in light winds, that just aren't sufficient for mixing the air," AccuWeather.com Expert Meteorologist Brett Anderson said.
"The inversion just stays trapped."
The longer an inversion lasts, the higher the level of trapped pollution.
According to the DEQ, the areas included in the proposed ban routinely violate the federal health-based standard for particulate matter, and solid fuel burning has been found to be a significant contributor to fine particulate pollution.
Though mandatory burn ban days already exist for this region during wintertime inversions, a full-fledged seasonal ban is opposed by many.
According to Utahns for Responsible Burning, an organization strongly opposed to a seasonal ban: "The Utah Department of Environmental Quality estimates that wood smoke is approximately 5% of this problem. Even if burning is completely banned, it won't solve the valley's brown cloud."
Car exhaust, factory emissions and other pollutants contribute to the region's poor air quality.
The organization believes that the ban punishes citizens who invested in newer, cleaner burning stoves and will be a disincentive for others to upgrade to more environmentally responsible hearth products.
Others say that the cost of using an alternative form of heat is too great.
"I know many families that will be impacted. I know families that will have to choose between food and keeping their families warm," Utah resident Debi Rosenlund Brozovich said.
"No business or industry has ever been asked to reduce pollution by 100 percent."
In an effort to make the ban more affordable to local residents, the DEQ has agreed to subsidize the costs for low-income families. Additionally, it exempts households whose only option for heat is wood burning.
"Homeowners whose homes are heated solely by wood and are registered with DAQ as a sole source residence would be permitted to continue heating with wood," the DEQ said.
On Tuesday, more than 500 people showed up to Brigham City's public hearing. The hearing was one of seven scheduled during the 40-day public comment period, which closes Feb. 9.
“UN Agenda 21 at work to make life impossibly expensive for non-essential personnel.”
If it’s cold at night, get one of Jimmy Carter’s sweaters...you voted for these bums, people - now snuggle up, go back to work and pay your taxes.
Guess what? From the 1700’s well into the 1900’s, everyone heated with either wood or coal...…
While not commenting on the freedom aspect, I can say that my mom grew up in Cache Valley when coal was the predominant heating fuel. In winter the snow was covered by soot during the inversions. Terrible air quality. It has gotten much better as most people have switched to gas, although it can still get bad due to auto exhaust.
Who wants to heat their homes in winter!? I mean, come on people!
“Guess what? From the 1700’s well into the 1900’s, everyone heated with either wood or coal......”
Sure did, my mom cooked many a meal on a wood burning stove when we lived up in the Umatilla National forest, dad manned a tower and fought fires. We eventually moved to Weston Ore and the event in the article would happen there every year during the winter. When you came through the pass dropping into town it was covered in a smoky haze. Other than a constant smell of smoke we never paid much attention to it. Health wise it didn’t seem to bother us either, all of us kids are well over 60, mom passed at 87 and dad turns 94 this September.
During that time describe wood was the only source of energy, we cooked with it, heated with it and built with it. A community would be established and the available wood would immediately start to get farther and farther from town. Wood haulers would travel quite a ways from town to cut and haul back to town until that source was gone and them go find another. Wood was consumed at an astounding rate. Thank God we discovered oil, gas and coal!
Nanny State Govt. at its finest.
Nope, the smoking bans would never lead to further encroachments on private property rights...after all, “I have a right to breathe smoke free air!”
Let’s send a special thank you to all the FReepers that supported the foundation for these actions!
be certain to include the AND part of the statement in the debate:
“Homeowners whose homes are heated solely by wood and are registered with DAQ as a sole source residence would be permitted to continue heating with wood,” the DEQ said.
As wood was used for everything in the mid-1800’s, pictures from then seem to show that the eastern US is 10x more forested now than it was then.......in general, Civil War pics show a denuded land.
Was at the Vicksburg battlefield and couldn’t figure out how the short range artillery was able to shoot through or over the tree’s. Later I looked at some old pictures of the battlefield and surrounding area, it was barren.
Look at pictures of Petersburg battlefield from 1865 and then go there today. It is a completely forrested area now. If the Park service wanted the battlefield to look authentic they would open it up to logging.
If Utah were really conservative it would simply eliminate it’s DEQ. What a tragedy that a nation born to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness would end up so far left.
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