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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's Air Quality Board is considering a proposal handed down from Governor Gary Herbert that would ban wood burning.
In Gov. Herbert's 2014 State of the State address he said, "I call on the Air Quality Board to limit wood burning in non-attainment areas during out entire inversion season."
The ban would apply to Box Elder, Cache, Davis, Salt Lake, Tooele and Weber counties from Nov. 1 to March 15.
Homes that are currently registered as a "sole source residence" would be permitted to continue heating with wood, according to a memorandum from the governor's office.
Bryce Bird is the director of the state's Division of Air Quality. Bird says wood-burning accounts for 5 percent of the pollution in Utah and automobile pollution makes up the largest percentage. Bird also says the industrial sector and cooking emissions contribute to Utah's poor air quality. Bird says the Air Quality Board has plans to address all categories of pollutants.
"We need to find enough reductions so that we can provide healthy air even when the meteorology and the topography here combine against us," Bird said.
Salt Lake County resident Jed Robinson heats his home with a wood-burning stove and says he burns wood because it saves him money. He and his wife travel each year to fell trees. They spend the weekend away and Robinson says he only spends $150 on the whole excursion — $150 is the total amount he will spend to heat his family's home for the season.
Robinson estimates the annual savings are nearly $2,000 when compared to heating with a furnace.
The proposal is still open to public comment. Public hearings will take place in each of the impacted counties.
Tooele
Tooele County Health Department
151 N Main St. #181
Tooele, UT
Wednesday Jan. 14, 2015 4 pm
Salt Lake City
DEQ Board Room
195 N 1950 W #1015
Salt Lake City, UT
Thursday Jan. 15, 2015 6 pm
Brigham City
Bear River Health Department
991 S 800 W
Conference Room B
Brigham City, UT
Tuesday Jan. 20, 2015 11:30 am
Ogden
Morgan Weber Health Department Auditorium
477 23rd St.
Ogden, UT
Tuesday Jan. 20. 2015 5 pm
Logan
Historic Court House
Cache County Council Chambers
199 N Main St.
Logan, UT
Wednesday Jan. 21, 2015 4 pm
Farmington
Davis County Administration Building
61 S Main St.
Farmington
Wednesday Jan. 28, 2015 10 am
Provo
Utah County Health Department
151 S University Ave #1600
Provo, UT
Thursday Jan. 29, 2015 11 am
