Public hearing on banning burn barrels Wednesday
JOAN JOSEPHSONLong before recycling became a preferred practice, burn barrels could be seen in just about every backyard.
They were used to dispose of household generated paper products and were the cause of an occasional grass fire.
Then, New York state laws were enacted that prohibited the use of these burn barrels in villages and cities or towns with populations greater than 20,000.
Today, burn barrels are few and far between but the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation wants to expand the existing law to ban open burning statewide.
In doing so, New York will join with other northeastern states, including Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Jersey that have already enacted similar bans.
A public hearing on the proposed New York ban has been scheduled for Wednesday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Jamestown Community College North Campus in Dunkirk, room 117.
An hour-long information will be held Wednesday at the same location from 4 to 5 p.m.
In addition to the proposed open burn ban, the revised law would limit agriculture burning to naturally grown products such as vines, branches, leaves and stubble.
It will also allow open burning for fire training purposes, small cooking and camp fires and ceremonial fires, such as the proper disposal of U.S. flags.
Shirley Farnham of Dean Road, Stockton says she has maintained a burn barrel on her property for the past 50 years.
"I don't know what I would do with my papers and cereal boxes, if I couldn't burn them," she says, noting she is particularly concerned with disposing of the junk mail the family receives.
"You have to be very careful these days with the mail you receive," she says.
Portland's grape farmer Bob Patterson says he has read news releases about what the DEC is proposing.
"I don't believe the proposed revisions will affect me because I have a continuous permit to burn the trimmed grape vines our farming operation generates," he says.
As Portland's Planning Board Chairman, Patterson says he is also aware of the regulations that govern open burning.
These include ones established by the Chautauqua County Sanitary Code which currently permits burn barrels located in areas outside of villages and cities to be used to dispose of house-hold generated papers.
County director of Environmental Conservation Mark Stow says over the years, the types of materials disposed of in burn barrels has changed.
"There are items being burned, particularly plastic ones, which generate noxious odors that cannot be tolerated," he says.
Because of this and other associated health problems, he believes burning that creates a public health hazard or nuisance is something thing that should not be allowed.
"If the expanded burning ban is put into place, the state DEC would be responsible for enforcing it and depending on the scope of the offense, the guilty party could be fined up to $1,000," he says.
The public hearing the DEC is holding at JCC north is soliciting comments from individuals wishing to speak.
They will be invited to speak and are also asked to submit their oral statements in writing.
The DEC will give equal weight to written and oral comments.
The deadline for submitting written statements regarding the proposed amendments is Aug. 14.
Comments on this article may be sent to editorial@observertoday.com
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tonysoprano
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08-05-08 6:40 PM
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I don;t think the observer services any city with polulations over 20.000 so why is it even in the news.
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Debbie
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08-05-08 4:21 PM
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For those of you concerned about disposing of junk mail because of identity theft (a real concern), an easy way to deal with that is to stop it from coming in the first place. Check out the nonprofit service ****41pounds**** For $8.20 a year they'll contact dozens of marketing companies and selected catalogs to stop about 90% of your junk mail. It's guaranteed. ~Debbie (with 41pounds****)
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