The ban on open burning will be extended statewide if a proposal submitted by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is upheld. This means that no one can dispose of their trash by burning it in an open fire anywhere in the state. The state will conduct a series of public hearings on the proposal.
The proposed rule allows for exceptions: camp fires, prescribed burns, celebratory bonfires (where allowed), fire training exercises, specialized burning to protect crops from frostbite, and burning of agricultural wastes (not plastics).
Cover crops, grapevines, and orchard trimmings are examples of agricultural wastes that would be exempt under the new proposal.
Lori O'Connell, DEC spokesperson, said that public comments would be reviewed by DEC staff in 45 days. That would include comments made at scheduled public hearings as well as letters and e-mails received at the DEC.
“Based on the feedback we receive,” O'Connell said, “a revised proposal could be made, or the present proposal could become a statewide regulation. We won't really know all the concerns until after the hearings.”
Currently populations under 20,000 are not subject to any statewide prohibition that would prevent such burning. Under the proposed rule this burning would be banned. Those who dispose of household refuse by burning will find that some households will have to pay for a hauler to pick up refuse at a typical cost of about $80 per month. Some will dispose of it at landfills at a cost of about $104 to $312 per year, the DEC said. But it also said any increase in costs to society at large would be more than compensated for the savings of health related costs in affected areas: hospital costs, medications, lost work time, and quality of life.
Since 1972, the ban was in place against open burning of residential wastes in any city or village or in any town with a population of 20,000 or more.
The state wants to reduce the impacts of pollutants such as dioxins, particulate matter, and carbon monoxide and to limit the risks of wildfires.
The need to update is based on the changes in both the type of materials burned and the increase in scientific knowledge about the contaminants released into the air by the combustion of those materials.
The proposed revision may have greater impact in rural areas. Some rural residents do not properly dispose of household trash. Instead, they burn the trash in open fires, typically in a 55-gallon drum known as a “burn barrel.”
Implementing the new law will simplify the enforcement of open burning by making most traditional debris fires illegal.
Once believed harmless, open burning has been found to release more dangerous chemicals into the air than previously thought.
A recent study by the Environmental Protection Agency, in conjunction with the DEC and state Department of Health, found that emissions of dioxins and furans (wood tars) from backyard burning alone were greater than all other sources combined for the years 2002 to 2004.
One resident in three uses a burn barrel to dispose of waste. Burning trash emits arsenic, carbon monoxide, benzene, styrene, formaldehyde, lead, hydrogen cyanide and other harmful chemicals.
Trash containing plastics, polystyrene, pressure-treated and painted wood and bleached or colored papers can produce harmful chemicals when burned.
Open burning is the largest single cause of wildfires in New York. DEC's Forest Protection Division data show that debris burning accounted for about 40 percent of wildfires between 1986 and 2006 - more than twice the next most cited source. In 2006, debris burning triggered 98 wildfires in the state.
The proposal has won backing from environmental and health groups and the Firemen's Association of the State of New York.
To learn more:
Hearings will be held on the proposed rule change at:
• Cortlandville Fire Department, 999 Route 13, Cortland, June 23, 5 to 8 p.m.
• Genesee Community College, College Drive, Conable Technology Building, Room T102, Batavia, July 2, 5 to 8 p.m.
Cover crops, grapevines, and orchard trimmings are examples of agricultural wastes that would be exempt under the new proposal.
Lori O'Connell, DEC spokesperson, said that public comments would be reviewed by DEC staff in 45 days. That would include comments made at scheduled public hearings as well as letters and e-mails received at the DEC.
“Based on the feedback we receive,” O'Connell said, “a revised proposal could be made, or the present proposal could become a statewide regulation. We won't really know all the concerns until after the hearings.”
Currently populations under 20,000 are not subject to any statewide prohibition that would prevent such burning. Under the proposed rule this burning would be banned. Those who dispose of household refuse by burning will find that some households will have to pay for a hauler to pick up refuse at a typical cost of about $80 per month. Some will dispose of it at landfills at a cost of about $104 to $312 per year, the DEC said. But it also said any increase in costs to society at large would be more than compensated for the savings of health related costs in affected areas: hospital costs, medications, lost work time, and quality of life.
Since 1972, the ban was in place against open burning of residential wastes in any city or village or in any town with a population of 20,000 or more.
The state wants to reduce the impacts of pollutants such as dioxins, particulate matter, and carbon monoxide and to limit the risks of wildfires.
The need to update is based on the changes in both the type of materials burned and the increase in scientific knowledge about the contaminants released into the air by the combustion of those materials.
The proposed revision may have greater impact in rural areas. Some rural residents do not properly dispose of household trash. Instead, they burn the trash in open fires, typically in a 55-gallon drum known as a “burn barrel.”
Implementing the new law will simplify the enforcement of open burning by making most traditional debris fires illegal.
Once believed harmless, open burning has been found to release more dangerous chemicals into the air than previously thought.
A recent study by the Environmental Protection Agency, in conjunction with the DEC and state Department of Health, found that emissions of dioxins and furans (wood tars) from backyard burning alone were greater than all other sources combined for the years 2002 to 2004.
One resident in three uses a burn barrel to dispose of waste. Burning trash emits arsenic, carbon monoxide, benzene, styrene, formaldehyde, lead, hydrogen cyanide and other harmful chemicals.
Trash containing plastics, polystyrene, pressure-treated and painted wood and bleached or colored papers can produce harmful chemicals when burned.
Open burning is the largest single cause of wildfires in New York. DEC's Forest Protection Division data show that debris burning accounted for about 40 percent of wildfires between 1986 and 2006 - more than twice the next most cited source. In 2006, debris burning triggered 98 wildfires in the state.
The proposal has won backing from environmental and health groups and the Firemen's Association of the State of New York.
To learn more:
Hearings will be held on the proposed rule change at:
• Cortlandville Fire Department, 999 Route 13, Cortland, June 23, 5 to 8 p.m.
• Genesee Community College, College Drive, Conable Technology Building, Room T102, Batavia, July 2, 5 to 8 p.m.
The Citizens' Say
There are No comments posted.