Anyone else seen this crap

[sawtooth4x4]

I just bought a wood stove to use in my house occasionally. When its really cold. This is really stupid. What about people who can't afford anything else but burning wood in their house for warmth. I'm so tired of the government trying to tell me how to live.

http://www.ksl.com/?sid=32606659&ni...put-on-proposed-wood-smoke-ban&s_cid=queue-13

 

[Kevin B.]

The inversions in the Salt Lake valley suck. Stepping out of your house and not being able to see the mountain just one mile away is ridiculous. Being able to taste the air you're trying to breathe sucks more. Generally speaking, I'm all for anything that improves the air quality in the valley.

Having said that, I seriously doubt that wood smoke from the .05% of valley residents with fireplaces is a prime contributor. If they're going to make noises about removing sources of pollution, they can start by sending Magcorp about 50 miles farther out. On my morning drives right while the inversion is starting, I can see the wall of smog generated by that cancer factory rolling in over the valley like a slow motion haboob.

 

[sawtooth4x4]

That's my point. Start with Kenecott and Magcorp.

 

[clfrnacwby]

This is hilarious. They are going after the, what, maybe 2% cause of pollution and ignoring, nay, supporting, the much, much larger cause of pollution? According to http://www.ksl.com/?sid=28467895, transportation causes over 50% of the pollution. Instead of spending billions, creating and expanding the current freeways so that more cars can be driven, why not spend it some actual usable public transportation? When I was working in South Provo, public transportation was going to take me 2 hrs. to get to work - as opposed to maybe 25min driving. Granted, it used to be 35+min until they created the 12 lane behemoth that is I15 now...

 

[Pile of parts]

I've been meaning to post on this. Public comment period is Jan 1 - 9. I intend to fight against this. I too, have a wood burning stove. We don't use it a lot, and avoid burning on no burn days, but we do enjoy a fire every now and then. Government is proposing an all out ban on wood burning. I realize the logic behind this is so when they tell us we have 2 days during winter we can burn, we'll feel like we got a win. They have decided that restaurants that cook with wood are exempt from the ban. Apparently if you contribute to the tax base and generate revenue for Uncle Sam, the rules don't apply. So what's next? Tell me we don't have pollution in the summer. If I have to give up my wood burning stove, do others have to give up their summer fire pits? They are also proposing that we all upgrade to newer stoves that burn cleaner. I agree with trying to clean things up - but how many of us can afford this upgrade? There is a registry of houses that wood is the sole source of heat but that list is getting smaller. I think the most dangerous smoke we have here in the valley is the smoke that is being blown in Legislature on a daily basis.

 

[DAA]

No helpful comments to add. But will say I'm beyond tired of the winter air. I'd move if I could for no other reason.

- DAA

 

[MikeGyver]

This is hilarious. They are going after the, what, maybe 2% cause of pollution and ignoring, nay, supporting, the much, much larger cause of pollution? According to http://www.ksl.com/?sid=28467895, transportation causes over 50% of the pollution. Instead of spending billions, creating and expanding the current freeways so that more cars can be driven, why not spend it some actual usable public transportation? When I was working in South Provo, public transportation was going to take me 2 hrs. to get to work - as opposed to maybe 25min driving. Granted, it used to be 35+min until they created the 12 lane behemoth that is I15 now...

The I-15 corridor is massively flawed. Whoever is responsible for that is an absolute moron. Sure you have a few sections of 8 lanes, but the sections of 3 lanes completely gridlock the whole freeway. For 2 years I commuted 40 miles (one way) every day between Orem and downtown SLC. I wonder if the clowns who designed these bottleneck features have ever just spent a day driving up and down I-15 to actually see how it works outside of their crappy computer simulations.

 

[Spork]

The I-15 corridor is massively flawed. Whoever is responsible for that is an absolute moron. Sure you have a few sections of 8 lanes, but the sections of 3 lanes completely gridlock the whole freeway. For 2 years I commuted 40 miles (one way) every day between Orem and downtown SLC. I wonder if the clowns who designed these bottleneck features have ever just spent a day driving up and down I-15 to actually see how it works outside of their crappy computer simulations.

I've given up on I-15. Some days I take Bangerter, some days I take Redwood, some days I really mix it up and take 2700 or 3200 (those days I really just want to avoid anyone and don't care how long it takes).

 

[UNSTUCK]

I hope they don't ask me to stop burning wood in my smoker. I need me some BBQ quite often.

 

[Westernhunter]

I don't burn wood for heat but, I don't believe that burning wood is very efficient anyway. I agree with Dave.

 

[jentzschman]

I saw a small segment on KSL while they were interviewing a health "professional" (if memory serves) who even admitted something like .0X percent of Utah residence burn wood during the winter months (I could be off on the number, but it is an incredibly low number). The health professional said that wood smoke created combustibles and other toxic chemicals that impact the health of people within close proximity of those who burn wood, while in the same breath acknowledged carbon pollution from vehicles are much, much worse.

I agree that this is so ridiculous! Stay the heck out of our lives.

 

[Kiel]

Damnit, it's my plan to get a really badass cast iron stove for when shtf and those really cold couple days a year.

 

[jentzschman]

Damnit, it's my plan to get a really badass cast iron stove for when shtf and those really cold couple days a year.

That is sweet. Get it, stick it to the man!

 

[glockman]

The I-15 corridor is massively flawed. Whoever is responsible for that is an absolute moron. Sure you have a few sections of 8 lanes, but the sections of 3 lanes completely gridlock the whole freeway. For 2 years I commuted 40 miles (one way) every day between Orem and downtown SLC. I wonder if the clowns who designed these bottleneck features have ever just spent a day driving up and down I-15 to actually see how it works outside of their crappy computer simulations.

I under your sentiment but you have to realize it's impossible to predict how a road design will work in the real world.
Good example is 1600 n in orem. That bottleneck is where the road gets wider. udot had no way to predict how many people would use that stretch of I-15 after the PG exit was finished.
Rest assured that every engineer that works for UDOT drives through the same traffic you do.

 

[Houndoc]

The inversions in the Salt Lake valley suck. Stepping out of your house and not being able to see the mountain just one mile away is ridiculous. Being able to taste the air you're trying to breathe sucks more. Generally speaking, I'm all for anything that improves the air quality in the valley.

Having said that, I seriously doubt that wood smoke from the .05% of valley residents with fireplaces is a prime contributor. If they're going to make noises about removing sources of pollution, they can start by sending Magcorp about 50 miles farther out. On my morning drives right while the inversion is starting, I can see the wall of smog generated by that cancer factory rolling in over the valley like a slow motion haboob.

While no fan or cheerleader of Magcorp, I don't think they can take much of the blame.

First off, while doing research related to the proposed Stericycle move to Tooele county reviewed pollution output data for the plant, and it has decreased something like 90% over last 20-30 years.

Second, Tooele Valley if far closer to the plant than Salt Lake Valley and our air is generally much better.

The real factors are mother nature, which we can not change, and cars, which most of us are unwilling to change (I am one of those with a 40 mile each way commute so am pointing fingers at myself as well as others.)

 

[skippy]

I will continue to burn wood and then pay the fine...

 

[sawtooth4x4]

Refineries are very regulated by the EPA. I know everyone likes to blame them. They are not burning off much except occasionally flaring. They use a lot of natural gas to heat up the crude and to help in the fracking process. Most of what is released from refineries is from cooling towers. I'm not going into great detail on the process of course, but in general this is the case. I'm not going to say they are perfect. But I'm wiling to bet most of the pollution comes from other sources. Its always easiest to blame the ones that look like they are making a lot pollution. There are tons and tons of emissions controls on refining.

On the other hand there is not much done with mining emissions.

I would submit most of the issue is from dust being stirred up by the wind in the deserts, trucks running around mining operations (no pollution controls on any of these vehicles), automobiles, and all the jets coming in and out of the area. There are basically no emissions controls on airplanes or jets. They are basically burning high grade kerosene, which doesn't burn very clean either.