WhatWeAskOfDutchessCounty

Here is what we are asking for in wood burning regulations to protect the rights of all citizens:

When you draft legislation, incorporate everything below into ALL wood burning regulations:

1) Regulate ALL wood burning appliances, indoor and outdoor. OWBs can and are being installed indoors (IWB or IWF). Indoor (IWB) and wood stoves have no regulations and can burn all year long. Regulate Wood Stoves. They operate without any restrictions. They can burn all year if the owner so chooses. Once a permit is issued, they are used (and over used) at the owner’s discretion. Some wood stoves do not even have permits.

2) Do not permit the burning of WOOD as a primary source of heat and/or hot water for any home. All homes must be equipped with a clean, primary heating system. Wood is the dirtiest way to heat.

3) Require a minimum of 5 or more acres for the installation and operation of any outdoor or indoor wood fired furnace or boiler also known as a hydronic outdoor or indoor wood furnaces or boilers. If there are complaints enforce the laws and shut it down.

5) The wood burning season is too long. In Dutchess County OWBs are permitted to burn from October 1^st through April 30^th. Some counties have NO burning regulations. Wood stoves have no limited burning time. This is excessive and part of the reason we are facing our current health and environmental crisis, and filing complaints—because there is continuous excessive wood smoke.

6) The burning season should not begin before December 1^st when the weather turns cold and winter winds have a chance to disperse the smoke. The burning season should end by March 31^st, because at that time, we once again begin to experience warm temperatures when the wood smoke causes severe problems as it hangs in the air.

7) Include ALL WOOD BURNING DEVICES in all regulations and laws.

8) Adopt strong laws that can and will be enforced. Make sure the laws contain regulations that are not “subjective” and can be quantified so that if there are complaints, a municipality will have the power to shut down the problematic device without question.

That’s it. This is all we’re asking for. We do not feel it’s unreasonable to ask for clean air for the majority of the year. Wood burning is offensive and unhealthy, and simply must be controlled. We feel compromise is the only way to address this growing problem at this time, before neighborhoods become completely overwhelmed.

Regulations will be even more difficult to address as more OWBS, IWBs and wood stoves are installed. More and more people are turning to wood as primary and supplemental heat. While some may insist they own their property and have a right to burn wood, they do not have a right to poison our air. Once their smoke leaves their property and enters that of another, it becomes:

an invasion of privacy
deprivation of the right of enjoyment of neighboring property and home
a major health hazard to all residents while creating black carbon soot that contributes to climate change.

Burning wood is not green; it’s air pollution. While some may argue it’s a renewable, natural, cheaper way to heat, the truth is it is the dirtiest, most inefficient way to heat while it damages the health of humans, wildlife and our planet. Burning wood emits far too many carcinogenic chemicals and toxins into our air.

Please prevent any further health and environmental damage by restricting and regulating wood smoke now. In this day and age it’s absurd that residents must plead to breathe air that is not contaminated by needless residential wood smoke.