Posted Wednesday, November 19, 2008
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District issued the first Winter Spare the Air Alert which bans wood burning both indoors and outdoors until this alert is lifted.
Air quality in the Bay Area is forecast to be unhealthy. During this Winter Spare the Air Alert, it is illegal for Bay Area residents and businesses to burn wood in fireplaces, woodstoves and inserts, pellet stoves, outdoor fire pits, or any other wood-burning devices.
Under the new rule, through the end of February 2009, those who burn wood during Winter Spare the Air Alerts will receive a written warning for their first violation. A second violation could result in fines that range from several hundred to several thousand dollars, depending on the severity of the infraction. People who burn wood as their sole source of heat are exempt from the regulation.
The daily air-quality status and details on exemptions from the Wood Burning Rule can be found:
o On the Air District Web sites: www.baaqmd.gov or www.sparetheair.org
o Via the toll-free hotline 1-877-4-NO-BURN
o By signing up for AirAlerts at www.sparetheair.org or by signing up for phone alerts at 1-800-430-1515.
How very sadly un-American.
We just purchased two cords of wood and still have at least two left over from last year.
Trying to do our greenest best we just purchased a new energy efficient washer and dryer.
Amazing how things happen.
Posted by: kevin | November 20, 2008 at 10:28 PM