Wood Smoke Photos
Photos of residential wood smoke submitted by our readers
Blue Green Wood Smoke in East Fishkill NY in 70 degree weather. What’s he burning?”
Wood Smoke from an OWB that was banned, so the owner installed an “indoor” version of this monstrosity that produces just as much toxic smoke. Dutchess County, NY
Where did the birds go? Thanks to this smoke, wildlife is dwindling. Birds did not return this year to build their nests in this homeowner’s yard, due to a neighbor’s wood smoke invasion.
Wood Smoke Free 
June 29, 2009 at 10:21 pm |
Wow I just found you. So glad to see our group of rabblerousers is not the only ones.
We are working nearly every day to get Governor to ban Outdoor Wood Boilers. The DEC draft Part 247 will not be health protective. OWBs smoulder and spew PM 2.5 which is a big problem. OWB owners can and do burn anything and everything. Many of us have been suffering for 5 years.
DEC told me they estimate 35,000 OWBs in State now. They do not have staff to go out and do opacity tests and shut them down one at a time. Do you have the David Brown Report “An Assessment of Risk from Particulate Released from Outdoor Wood Boilers?” Google it, you’ll find it.
I am in touch w/people in Erie Co., Broome Co., Columbia Co. and Orange Co. Keep up the good work. Be sure to send copies of letters also to Judith Enck, Deputy Secretary for the Environment (NY). Advise people to contact Agnes Mukasa at NYS DOH 518-402-7815 and get complaints on her file.
I am going to DEC this week to review my latest FOIL request.
DOS is advising people to get code enforcers to use 302.6 of the Property Maintenance Code. None will that we can find.
Mostly what we find is an endless loop of chasing our tails. In Erie Co. and opacity test was done by DEC and it took another 6 months for the paperwork to result in stove owner being issued citation to shut down. Now to the Courts.
July 3, 2009 at 2:49 pm |
Hi
Thank you for posting your information! I will add this to the main site of “who to contact for help”. OWB’s are the worst, but in my area, wood stoves are a close second. My concern is that if oil prices rise again, so will the smoke. I recently received a reply from the US Environmental Protection Agency / Air Compliance Branch. The letter stated, “if you are being impacted by smoke or suspect illegal burning, contact the Dutchess Cty. Environmental Health Svcs @ 845 486 3404. At the very start I contacted the Dutchess Cty. Health Dept who said it was not their field – to contact the DEC – who couldn’t do anything either because they couldn’t get an accurate opacity test. Not sure if this is the same #. They also said that according to Monique Jones of the Environmental Health Svcs., smoke complaints are handled under the county’s nuisance laws. This is good. CT has been working for months, trying to have wood smoke declared a “public nuisance.” I think if we all keep working at this, eventually we’ll make a dent. Still, oil prices are killing our cause. Every year more and more people start burning wood. They have to realize they cannot rely on wood as a primary source of heat and hot water, or they will kill their neighbors, wildlife and environment. The problem is that very few wood burners will listen to reason. Most just burn more. We need protection from this smoke/regulations/bans/government support/alternative energy including nuclear. God help us come this fall if that cap and trade bill is passed. Household energy costs will skyrocket – then watch the wood burning. Altho – I bet the cost of wood will rise too as demand increases. I think they should tax the hell out of wood sales, just like tobacco products. Email me @ stopwoodsmoke@woodsmokefreeny.com I’d like to talk to you!
November 16, 2009 at 10:15 am |
we are across the street from an owb and in a valley so the smoke has nowhere to go. until recently our neighbor put a cap on it and raised it higher because of our complaints to the town. we’ve contacted dec and epa who sent an officer out to no avail. this neighbor built this house with a beautiful pool and then decided he wasn’t going to pay the prices to heat the pool and his house. it’s the biggest on the block. right now the town of Mahopac, NY has no ordinance on these so technically if I wanted to drop one in my backyard I could. OOh it’s SOOO frustating. Funny these things are supposed to be 1000? ft from schools or nursing homes…WHY?