Action
Alert
DEC Poised to End Outdoor Burning
of Garbage and Other Waste
Your Letters Needed to Prevent Weakening of the Rule
The
deadline for written comments has been extended to August 14th.
The New York State Department
of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has recently proposed to
eliminate virtually all outdoor burning, particularly burning
of garbage, including the use of "burn barrels." This
rule will have a positive impact on the air quality in New York,
especially in rural areas of the state like the Adirondack Park.
The Background
Since 1972, all cities and villages,
and towns with over 20,000 residents, have been prohibited from
burning all residential wastes outdoors. However, in the Adirondacks
Park, which does not contain any cities or have a town with a
population over 9,000, open burning is currently permitted.
According to the Department of
Health, burning about 10 pounds of trash in a burn barrel may
produce the same amount of pollution equivalent to burning 400,000
pounds in an incinerator with modern emissions controls. Materials
that are commonly burned often contain such chemicals as dioxins
(known carcinogens), heavy metals, benzene, formaldehyde and
hydrogen cyanide.
For many years, the state Legislature
has proposed legislation that would ban the burning of garbage
outdoors, but the Senate and Assembly were unable to reach an
agreement on the bill. Now, DEC has proposed a regulation that
bans all open outdoor burning except under limited circumstances
and it does not need Legislative approval.
The Benefits
The health benefits of prohibiting
outdoor burning far outweighs any minimal landfill or recycling
costs which individuals may have to pay. Asthma, eye and nose
irritation should all be greatly reduced with the decrease of
open burning.
Also, this new regulation would
align New York with many other northeast states that have limits
on outdoor burning. Currently, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine,
Rhode Island, New Jersey and Vermont have outdoor burning restrictions.
The Concerns
The Adirondack Council and other
groups that are troubled by the spread of invasive species are
concerned that there is not an explicit exemption in the regulation
for "pile burns." Pile burns are the controlled burning
of non-native plants and trees infested with invasive insects.
They are often the most effective way to help eradicate invasive
plants and pests. It is unclear if DEC's prescribed burn regulation
specifically allows pile burns for ecological purposes. The Council
wants DEC to clarify this much-needed action to make sure pile
burns are permitted in at least one regulation.
Other groups are lobbying to
allow the burning of plastics at agricultural facilities and
other actions that will weaken the proposed regulation. These
will severely decrease the health benefits of the proposed regulation
and should not be permitted.
What You Can Do
There is already substantial
opposition to this proposed regulation. Your letters are needed
today to make sure the regulation is as strong as possible.
Please write to DEC and in your own words let them know that:
- You support the proposed regulation
to ban outdoor burning.
- You want to make sure that "pile
burns," the burning of non-native plants and trees and those
that are infested with invasive insects, are allowed.
- DEC should not weaken the regulation
by allowing the burning of plastics at agricultural facilities.
Please send your comments
to:
Robert Stanton
NYS DEC
Division of Air Resources
625 Broadway, 2nd floor
Albany, NY 12233-3254
Email: 215fires@gw.dec.state.ny.us
The
deadline for written comments has been extended until August
14th.
For more information
on the proposed rule and upcoming hearings in your area, please
visit DEC's website at: www.dec.ny.gov/regulations/43439.html
If you have any questions,
please feel free to call or email us. Also, please send or email
us a copy of your correspondence, if possible. Thank you for
your help and support!
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