After hearing heated rebukes from residents across the state, the Utah Division of Air Quality announced Monday it will not pursue a proposed ban on solid fuel burning this year.
The division will continue to accept public comment through the Feb. 9 deadline, but Bryce Bird, director of the Division of Air Quality, said the agency does not plan to push the state Air Quality Board to pass a ban.
He said the ban would be difficult to enforce and won’t necessarily address the root of the air pollution problem affecting residents of the Wasatch Front and Tooele Valley.
But the public comment received over the past month that essentially struck down the proposed ban has also alerted state and local officials to another potential problem: thousands of Utahns who evidently use wood as the sole source of heat in their homes don’t know there are special exemptions and subsidies available to them.
In light of this discovery, the state has reopened its sole source registry for residents of Tooele Valley and the Wasatch Front who use wood or other solid fuels such as coal to heat their homes.
Those residences included on the registry are exempt from fines they otherwise would incur were they caught burning solid fuels on mandatory no-burn days — a rule that remains in full effect.
It may also qualify them for funding the state has set aside to assist individuals who would like to have their solid fuel-burning devices replaced by a new furnace or similar solution.
“Lots of people said they weren’t aware of [the registry],” said Amy Bate, public information officer for the Tooele County Health Department. “So this is just an opportunity for a second chance.”
Should the woodburning ban go into effect, residents who live within the populated Tooele Valley area designated by the EPA as a nonattainment area for small particulate pollution will be barred from burning wood, coal or similar fuels in any device, be it a stove, fireplace or even an outdoor fire pit, during winter months.
However, residents listed on the sole source registry will be exempt from the rule.
And even if the woodburning ban does not go into effect, registering as a sole source still exempts residents from incurring fines for burning solid fuels on mandatory no-burn days.
Such days are declared by the Division of Air Quality whenever particulate pollution in the nonattainment area reaches a certain potentially hazardous level.
Those on the registry are also eligible to receive a portion of the $500,000 set aside by the state Legislature to help residents switch out wood stoves for devices that can use natural gas, propane or electricity to generate heat. This funding is available on a first-come, first serve basis.
Homeowners who use solid fuels exclusively may sign up for the registry online at www.airquality.utah.gov/compliance/solidfuel/ssheatingapplication.htm. Those who apply will be subject to inspection before the registration is final.
The state plans to cease accepting new registry applicants on June 1.