Air panel plans workshops on tougher fireplace burning rules
Fireplaces and wood-burning stoves may be the last thing on most people's minds in July, but that's just what city officials want the public to start thinking about.
Come November, if you live in the area, you may be dealing with a newer, stricter set of rules when it comes to burning wood.
The Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District is proposing an overhaul to Rule 421, which limits the use of wood-burning stoves and fireplaces during the winter months on bad air days.
Starting this week, air quality officials will launch a series of five open forums where they will present the proposed changes. The air quality board wants people to weigh in with their comments and recommendations.
"With the current rule, we still have too many unhealthy days," said program supervisor Aleta Kennard.
"At these forums, we'll lay out what we've done with our analysis and what we're considering to change, and give the public an opportunity to respond."
The district wants to revamp its system, which currently allows some exceptions for burning on bad air days. It wants to create a program in which all burning would be prohibited – regardless of the type of stove or the material being burned.
Currently, Stage 1 of the "Check Before You Burn" program bans the use of fireplaces and wood-burning stoves, unless they are pellet stoves or U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-certified fireplace inserts or stoves. On Stage 2 days, burning any solid fuel, including wood, synthetic logs and pellets, is illegal.
"On a no-burn day you get a 22 percent reduction in particulate emission, while on a Stage 1 day, when you have exceptions, you only get about a 10 percent reduction," Kennard said.
Rather than a districtwide ban on all burning on those days, some retailers suggest that the district should focus on getting residents to use more environmentally friendly devices.
Mitchell Heller, owner of Custom Fireside, said the city is approaching the issue the wrong way.
He said government should crack down on open fireplaces, providing incentives for residents to use wood pellets or EPA-approved fireplace inserts or stoves.
"I'm not supporting this, because there are two options that they don't have on the table," Heller said. "One, leave the current system we have in place; or two, enact more severe restrictions and rules on open fireplaces, which will make people put in EPA or pellet stoves."
Heller said his customers are required by law to purchase EPA-certified inserts or pellet stoves. The clean-burning appliances emit from 2 to 7 grams of smoke per hour, while uncertified devices emit 60 to 80 grams of smoke per hour.
During the winter, wood smoke combined with calm weather conditions in Sacramento can make the air extremely unhealthy and potentially dangerous, said Brigette Tollstrup, the air quality district's division manager.
"When you burn, you emit particulates," Tollstrup said. "And in the wintertime, we get those calm cool nights where … the smoke gets trapped low to the ground, causing really bad air."
Officials say exposure to air laden with smoke particulates worsens existing asthma, increases the likelihood of stroke and heart attacks in postmenopausal women, causes chronic bronchitis, and poses a particular threat to children, who take in more air in relation to their size than adults do.
In addition to particulate problems, Sacramento is also ranked seventh-worst in the nation for ozone pollution, according to the American Lung Association.
The air board declares an average of 23 no-burn days per season.
Air quality officials said that if their proposal is approved, the number of complete no-burn days could increase to 31.
That, they said, would ultimately lead to more clean-air days in the future.