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Tuesday, December 27, 2005

Environment - Sparks fly over outdoor wood-burning furnaces

"Sparks fly over wood-burners" was the headline to this comprehensive story by Mike Lewis in the Dec. 26th Bedford Times-Mail. Some quotes:

Debate is heating up about a state plan to regulate outdoor wood-burning furnaces. “People are complaining about the smoke emitted from these units,” said Sean Gorman of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.

Those complaints about pollution sparked the state's concern and started the rule-making process. But the proposed rules have already drawn fire from state lawmakers.

“Many homes in my district have efficient wood-burning furnaces and there is, to my knowledge, no empirical data that supports the notion that wood smoke is more harmful than conventional heating methods,” replied state Rep. Eric Koch, R-Bedford, in a letter to IDEM. The proposed rules, he wrote, “run contrary to our efforts to promote alternative sources of energy.”

The proposal also lit up the concerns of state Sen. Brent Steele, R-Bedford, who said he had a hard time tracking down information on the proposal. “I don't know, really, what's up,” Steele said. “I just noticed they were in a rule-making process, and I couldn't figure out what they were trying to do. ... It dawned on me if it was that hard for me as a senator to find out what was going on, the average person probably didn't know about it.” * * *

At issue are the outdoor units that are becoming more popular for heating homes and other structures. In some instances the units heat air. Others (outdoor boilers) heat water. IDEM's proposed rules would consider furnaces and boilers to be the same as far as regulating smoke.

IDEM's Gorman said indoor units (such as indoor wood stoves and fireplace inserts) already must meet U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rules. But there are no regulations for outdoor units.

IDEM reports receiving “numerous complaints concerning outdoor furnaces in residential areas.” According to Gorman and the proposed IDEM rules, there are at least a couple of concerns with outdoor units.

Smokestack height: The smokestack heights of outdoor units typically range from eight to 10 feet above the ground. That allows smoke to hover near the ground more readily. (The chimneys for indoor units extend above the roof line, typically 20 feet or more off the ground.)

Incomplete combustion: According to IDEM, “the basic design of outdoor furnaces causes fuel to burn incompletely, or smolder, which can result in thick smoke and high particulate emissions. ... The smoke drifts across property lines and penetrates adjacent structures. It can also drift across nearby roadways and block visibility for drivers.”

IDEM reports the smoke from outdoor furnaces includes ash and particles as well as carbon dioxide and “volatile organic compounds” like formaldehyde and benzene. Gorman stressed that IDEM's proposal is a long way from reality. The agency is seeking public comment.

The report also lists the alternatives IDEM is considering:
* Do nothing, leaving the situation as it is.

* Establish emission standards for the outdoor units (addressing particulate emissions, carbon dioxide and so on).

* Restrict the type and use of outdoor units (dealing with stack heights, setback from homes and so on).

* Ban outdoor units entirely, or ban certain types of the units (such as restricting their use in certain types of neighborhoods, or during certain times of the year).

* Develop some combination of the above approaches.

See earlier ILB entries from Dec. 5, Dec. 10 and Dec. 12.

Here is the IDEM request for written comments. They are due by Jan. 3, 2006.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on December 27, 2005 07:31 AM
Posted to Environment