The next time a ban on wintertime wood burning is declared in the Puget Sound region, it could be a ban in the truest sense of the word.
Until this year, winter burn bans have allowed for some exceptions: fires in newer, cleaner burning wood- or pellet stoves.
Now, even use of those stoves will be prohibited.
The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency sent out a reminder of the new law this week, with days of clear, cold, stagnant air — the type that traps air pollution near the ground — predicted for the weekend.
Earlier this year, the state Legislature lowered the air-quality trigger for calling a burn ban to align with a federal standard established in 2006, according to the Clean Air Agency.
Now bans will be divided into two stages:
Stage 1 bans will apply only to fires currently covered under wintertime burn bans. These include any type of outdoor burning along with fires in wood-burning fireplaces and pre-1995 wood stoves not certified to be cleaner burning.
Stage 2 bans will apply also to the newer, cleaner-burning devices.
The lone remaining exceptions are for fuels not made from wood: natural gas and propane stoves or inserts, along with common household heating sources such as furnaces, heat pumps and baseboard units.
Violations cost $1,000 each. An inspector for the Clean Air Agency has to see smoke coming out of the chimney to write a ticket, either by happening upon it or by responding to a complaint.
As with all wintertime burn bans, anyone who can show that their wood stove is their sole source of heat won’t have to pay the fine. They can still be issued a ticket up front, though, and will have to file an appeal with the Clean Air Agency.
In the past, bans have been based on weather forecasts, and that will still be the case with stage 1 bans, said Jim Nolan, a compliance officer for the Clean Air Agency. Stagnant, smoke-filled cooler air can be trapped by warmer air above it, which keeps pollutants near the ground.
Stage 2 bans will be declared if the air quality starts pushing the federal health standard, Nolan said. The agency, which covers King, Snohomish, Pierce and Kitsap counties, usually calls a ban for the whole region but has the authority to specify by county if conditions warrant, a relatively rare occurrence, Nolan said.
The Clean Air Agency called two regional burn bans last winter, one from Dec. 9 through 11 and one from Jan. 23 through 26. Summer burn bans are usually declared by fire departments for safety reasons, officials with the Clean Air Agency said.
Despite a distinctive aroma that some find pleasant and comforting, wood smoke is dangerous to breathe, experts say. Tiny particles found in wood smoke — so small that as many as 40 of them can fit across the diameter of a human hair — can cause or worsen potentially fatal diseases of the heart and lungs, according to the Clean Air Agency.
“When the air does get contaminated, when the pollution load is heavy, we will see more pulmonary disease and heart disease,” said Dr. Gary Goldbaum, director and health officer for the Snohomish Health District. “It is prudent to keep our air as clean as we possibly can.”
Three years ago, the Clean Air Agency began offering rebates for homeowners in some communities to upgrade from older stoves to the newer, cleaner burning kind.
The rebates have been offered in several cities in the Puget Sound region, including Marysville and Darrington, where wood-smoke pollution was measured to be particularly high. This year the discounts are also offered in Everett.
Under the program, up to $750 is taken off the cost of a clean-burning wood stove and up to $1,500 off the cost of a pellet, propane or gas stove, or more efficient furnace or heat pump. Low-income discounts are available.
Discounts from other agencies, such as the Snohomish County PUD and Puget Sound Energy, for newer, more efficient appliances can be collected on top of the Clean Air Agency rebate for the same item, said Amy Warren, a spokeswoman for the Clean Air Agency.
Nearly 200 homeowners have taken advantage of the program in the three cities, with funding available for 24 more discounts in Marysville, 21 more in Everett and 18 in Darrington, Warren said.
Susie Green, 58, of Marysville, would escape the ban because she and her husband recently upgraded to a propane fireplace insert.
They took advantage of a rebate program from the Clean Air Agency and received $1,500 off the cost of the insert, bringing it down to $2,200 from $3,700.
They’d been thinking of upgrading anyway, Green said. The propane insert costs about the same as electric baseboard heat but keeps them much warmer, she said.
“We thought that was marvelous and too good an opportunity to pass up,” Green said.
Reporter Bill Sheets: 425-339-3439 or sheets@heraldnet.com.
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