SHB 2326 -
By Committee on Environment
NOT ADOPTED 03/02/2012
Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert the following:
"Sec. 1 RCW 70.94.473 and 2008 c 40 s 1 are each amended to read
as follows:
(1) Any person in a residence or commercial establishment which has
an adequate source of heat without burning wood shall:
(a) Not burn wood in any solid fuel burning device whenever the
department has determined under RCW 70.94.715 that any air pollution
episode exists in that area;
(b) Not burn wood in any solid fuel burning device except those
which are either Oregon department of environmental quality phase II or
United States environmental protection agency certified or certified by
the department under RCW 70.94.457(1) or a pellet stove either
certified or issued an exemption by the United States environmental
protection agency in accordance with Title 40, Part 60 of the code of
federal regulations, in the geographical area and for the period of
time that a first stage of impaired air quality has been determined, by
the department or any authority, for that area. A first stage of
impaired air quality is reached when forecasted meteorological
conditions are predicted to cause fine particulate levels to reach or
exceed ((thirty-five)) thirty micrograms per cubic meter, measured on
a twenty-four hour average, within ((forty-eight)) seventy-two hours;
and
(c)(i) Not burn wood in any solid fuel burning device in a
geographical area and for the period of time that a second stage of
impaired air quality has been determined by the department or any
authority, for that area. A second stage of impaired air quality is
reached when a first stage of impaired air quality has been in force
and has not been sufficient to reduce the increasing fine particulate
pollution trend, fine particulates are at an ambient level of twenty-
five micrograms per cubic meter measured on a twenty-four hour average,
and forecasted meteorological conditions are not expected to allow
levels of fine particulates to decline below twenty-five micrograms per
cubic meter for a period of twenty-four hours or more from the time
that the fine particulates are measured at the trigger level.
(ii) A second stage burn ban may be called without calling a first
stage burn ban only when all of the following occur and shall require
the department or the local air pollution control authority calling a
second stage burn ban under this subsection to comply with the
requirements of subsection (((4))) (3) of this section:
(A) Fine particulate levels have reached or exceeded twenty-five
micrograms per cubic meter, measured on a twenty-four hour average;
(B) Meteorological conditions have caused fine particulate levels
to rise rapidly;
(C) Meteorological conditions are predicted to cause fine
particulate levels to reach or exceed the ((thirty-five)) thirty
micrograms per cubic meter, measured on a twenty-four hour average,
within twenty-four hours; and
(D) Meteorological conditions are highly likely to prevent
sufficient dispersion of fine particulate.
(2) Actions of the department and local air pollution control
authorities under this section shall preempt actions of other state
agencies and local governments for the purposes of controlling air
pollution from solid fuel burning devices, except where authorized by
chapter 199, Laws of 1991.
(3) The department or any local air pollution control authority
that has called a second stage burn ban under the authority of
subsection (1)(c)(ii) of this section shall, within ninety days,
prepare a written report describing:
(a) The meteorological conditions that resulted in their calling
the second stage burn ban;
(b) Whether the agency could have taken actions to avoid calling a
second stage burn ban without calling a first stage burn ban; and
(c) Any changes the department or authority is making to its
procedures of calling first stage and second stage burn bans to avoid
calling a second stage burn ban without first calling a first stage
burn ban.
After consulting with affected parties, the department shall
prescribe the format of such a report and may also require additional
information be included in the report. All reports shall be sent to
the department and the department shall keep the reports on file for
not less than five years and available for public inspection and
copying in accordance with RCW 42.56.090.
(((4) The department and local air pollution control authorities
shall evaluate the effectiveness of the burn ban programs contained in
this section in avoiding fine particulate levels to exceed thirty-five
micrograms per cubic meter, measured on a twenty-four hour average, and
provide a joint report of the results to the legislature by September
1, 2011.))
Sec. 2 RCW 70.94.477 and 2009 c 282 s 1 are each amended to read
as follows:
(1) Unless allowed by rule under chapter 34.05 RCW, a person shall
not cause or allow any of the following materials to be burned in any
residential solid fuel burning device:
(a) Garbage;
(b) Treated wood;
(c) Plastics;
(d) Rubber products;
(e) Animals;
(f) Asphaltic products;
(g) Waste petroleum products;
(h) Paints; or
(i) Any substance, other than properly seasoned fuel wood, which
normally emits dense smoke or obnoxious odors.
(2) To achieve and maintain attainment in areas of nonattainment
for fine particulates in accordance with section 172 of the federal
clean air act, a local air pollution control authority or the
department may, after meeting requirements in subsection (3) of this
section, prohibit the use of solid fuel burning devices, except:
(a) Fireplaces as defined in RCW 70.94.453(3), except if needed to
meet federal requirements as a contingency measure in a state
implementation plan for a fine particulate nonattainment area;
(b) Woodstoves meeting the standards set forth in RCW
70.94.473(1)(b); or
(c) Pellet stoves.
(3) Prior to prohibiting the use of solid fuel burning devices
under subsection (2) of this section, the department or the local air
pollution control authority must:
(a) Seek input from any city, county, or jurisdictional health
department affected by the proposal to prohibit the use of solid fuel
burning devices; and
(b) Make written findings that:
(i) The area is designated as an area of nonattainment for fine
particulate matter by the United States environmental protection
agency, or is in maintenance status under that designation;
(ii) Emissions from solid fuel burning devices in the area are a
major contributing factor for violating the national ambient air
quality standard for fine particulates; and
(iii) The area has an adequately funded program to assist low-income households to secure an adequate source of heat, which may
include woodstoves meeting the requirements of RCW 70.94.453(2).
(4) If and only if the nonattainment area is within the
jurisdiction of the department and the legislative authority of a city
or county within the area of nonattainment formally expresses concerns
with the department's written findings, then the department must
publish on the department's web site the reasons for prohibiting the
use of solid fuel burning devices under subsection (2) of this section
that includes a response to the concerns expressed by the city or
county legislative authority.
(5) When a local air pollution control authority or the department
prohibits the use of solid fuel burning devices as authorized by this
section, the cities, counties, and jurisdictional health departments
serving the area shall cooperate with the department or local air
pollution control authority as the department or the local air
pollution control authority implements the prohibition. ((However,
cooperation shall not include enforcement of this prohibition.)) The
responsibility for actual enforcement of the prohibition shall reside
solely with the department or the local air pollution control
authority. A city, county, or jurisdictional health department serving
the area may agree to assist with enforcement activities.
(6) A prohibition issued by a local air pollution control authority
or the department under this section shall not apply to a person in a
residence or commercial establishment that does not have an adequate
source of heat without burning wood.
(7) As used in this section((,)):
(a) "Jurisdictional health department" means a city, county, city-county, or district public health department.
(b) "Prohibit the use" or "prohibition" may include requiring
disclosure, removal, rendering inoperable, providing evidence of
destruction, or other similar requirements as may be approved by rule
by a local air pollution control authority or the department. However,
except as provided in RCW 64.06.020 relating to the seller disclosure
of wood burning appliances, any such prohibition may not include
imposing separate time of sale obligations on the seller or buyer of
real estate as part of a real estate transaction.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3 A new section is added to chapter 70.94 RCW
to read as follows:
(1) The department of ecology and local air pollution control
authorities shall report back to the appropriate standing committees of
the legislature by December 31, 2014, and every two years thereafter,
on progress toward achieving attainment for areas of nonattainment that
the revised burn ban and prohibition requirements contained in RCW
70.94.473 and 70.94.477 were enacted to address, as well as whether
other implementation tools are necessary to achieve attainment.
(2) This section expires January 1, 2019."
SHB 2326 -
By Committee on Environment
NOT ADOPTED 03/02/2012
On page 1, beginning on line 2 of the title, after "devices;" strike the remainder of the title and insert "amending RCW 70.94.473 and 70.94.477; adding a new section to chapter 70.94 RCW; and providing an expiration date."
EFFECT: Amends the definition of "prohibit the use" or "prohibition" so that rules adopted by a local air pollution control authority or the department of ecology cannot impose obligations on the buyers or sellers of real estate relating to wood burning appliances, except as provided in the residential seller disclosure law, RCW 64.06.020. Removes the criteria for seasoned wood as having a moisture content of less than twenty percent.