Proposal to increase no-burn days in Valley

Residents may soon have fewer days in which to burn their fire places.

Central California air officials are proposing to further curtail residential wood burning in an effort to reduce airborne particulate pollution in one of the nation’s most polluted regions, according to a plan released last week.

The proposal by the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District would increase the number of no-burn days for fireplaces, other wood burning heaters and outdoor devices.

If adopted, the new rules would double the no-burn days in many counties. In Tulare County, changes would increase no-burn days on average from 40 to 59 days, roughly a 50-percent increase. In San Joaquin county, it would mean going from 18 average no-burn days each winter to 47 no-burn days, in Stanislaus from 36 to 74, in Fresno from 53 to 85, and in Merced from 26 to 63 average no-burn days.

The restrictions do not apply to homes where wood burning is the only source of heat.

Mandatory no-burn restrictions based on air-quality forecasts were first introduced in the Valley in 2003. Previously, the Valley had voluntary bans on burning wood.

They are intended to reduce particulate pollution, which can exacerbate lung conditions and increase the risk of heart attacks and stroke. A health assessment accompanying the proposal say it would prevent 671 premature deaths by 2019, prevent hundreds of hospital visits and reduce respiratory symptoms in thousands of people.

The Valley records some of the highest levels of air pollution in the country and has a rate of asthma three times the national average, according to the American Lung Association. The Valley has for years failed to meet the federal standard for small particle pollution.

Some of the causes are geography: Pollution from San Francisco and Sacramento is sucked

into the Valley’s bowl, where it stagnates. Others are man made: The state’s two main highways, the routes for nearly all long-distance tractor trailer rigs, cut through Valley. The region’s multiple farms and dairies contribute pesticides, manure and other pollutants.

Burning wood accounts for about a quarter of the problem.

Critics say the no-burn rule invade their rights to have a fireplace at home. They also say low-income residents may not be able to afford an alternative to wood burning, which is a less expensive source of heating.

Gas stoves can cost several thousand dollars, not including installation, and converting traditional brick fireplaces to natural gas can cost thousands of dollars.

The air district, which covers the area from Lodi to Bakersfield, will present the proposal to the public on Dec. 20.

The District will consider allowing the use of cleaner EPA-certified wood burning devices, particularly during new potential curtailment days aimed at reducing the buildup of PM2.5 emissions. EPA-certified devices have been designed and demonstrated to reduce PM2.5 emissions by 70 percent or greater in comparison to uncertified woodstoves, and by 95 percent in comparison to wood-burning fireplaces. Pellet stoves have demonstrated even greater reductions in PM2.5 emissions, with an 89 percent reduction in comparison to uncertified woodstoves and a 98 percent reduction from wood-burning fireplaces.

“Many Valley residents have upgraded their homes with these newer devices, including through programs such as the District’s Burn Cleaner Program and federal tax incentives.

Given their much lower relative emissions, allowed use of these devices during the proposed lower curtailment level could still achieve the goal of significantly reducing the overall emissions that ultimately lead to violations of the standard. This potential allowance and the appropriate level of acceptable clean certified devices will be examined through the public rule amendment process. Along with this potential allowance, the district will continue to provide incentives to encourage the replacement of existing older devices with newer clean devices,” stated the staff report.

The district is also considering lengthening the wood curtailment season, given the relatively high levels of PM2.5 emissions often observed during the months of October and March. The District’s current Rule 4901 wood burning curtailment season runs from the beginning of November until the end of February, but could be extended from October through March.

Although reducing mobile source emissions is critical to the Valley’s attainment of air quality standards, the district does not have direct regulatory authority to reduce motor vehicle tailpipe emissions, which are regulated by the EPA and ARB.