2/28/08

Burn ban reconsidered by agency

Rural property owners made their voices heard after the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency proposed a ban on outdoor burning in Snohomish, King and Pierce counties. After receiving hundreds of complaints, the agency has decided to remove the widespread ban from its recommendation.

Still on the table is a proposal designed to eliminate the burning of debris caused by property development, and the agency will continue to call for temporary burn bans as required, according to the agency’s compliance director Jim Nolan.

The proposal to ban outdoor backyard fires had assumed property owners had “reasonable access” to alternatives like wood chippers and curbside pickup of debris. As the e-mails and phone calls flooded in, it became clear to Nolan and others that many rural landowners would be negatively impacted by the ban.

“A curbside program with a pickup twice a month is inadequate to handle the amount of material that comes down in the winter,” Nolan agreed.

The agency’s board of directors was scheduled to vote on the proposal following a public hearing the morning of February 28 at the Seattle Public Library. If approved, the ban on using controlled fires to clear lots being developed would begin July 1.

For more information, visit www.pscleanair.org.