AQMD wants to ban wood-burning fireplaces in homes.

Well, it seems that saving our natural resources just got a bit more challenging! What to do: Reduce our use of fossil fuels, or improve air quality by reducing air pollution from fireplaces?

In an effort to meet Federal air quality regulations, the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) has requested a ban on wood-burning fireplaces in all new homes in Los Angeles, Orange and portions of Riverside and San Bernardino counties. The plan also calls for banning wood-burning fires in existing homes in areas where there are high levels of air pollution.

The AQMD had also considered a measure that would require closing off wood fireplaces or installing $3,600 pollution control devices before a home could be sold, but that idea was dropped.

While banning wood-burning fireplaces in new construction shouldn’t be too hard to enforce if this measure is passed, banning the use of existing wood-burning fireplaces would appear to be close to impossible. And of course builders are fighting this proposed ban, saying that the wood-burning fireplace is a highly requested feature in new homes.

Members of the AQMD staff say that a daily reduction of 192 tons of nitrogen oxides is needed in the region to meet the Clean Air Act requirements, and that 7 tons of that could come from restrictions on fireplaces.

So what’s the alternative to the wood-burning fireplace? Gas logs! But wait… that creates another hot-button issue in the area, which is reducing the overall usage of fossil fuels. With a new Solar Water Heater Intiative on the table in California, it would appear that these two issues are currently at odds with each other.

The Solar Water Heater Initiative proposes to create incentives (as in rebates) for installing solar water heaters in homes as a way to reduce the residential use of natural gas by up to 24% statewide. The proposed bill would offer over $250 million in incentives to build 200,000 solar water systems statewide over the next 10 years.

Also proposed as part of the new AQMD regulations are truck-only lanes on the 710 and 15 freeways, electric rail lines from the Westside to Ontario airport and from the ports to Inland Empire warehouses as well as reducing paint thinner emissions, gas station and refinery leaks and the use of commercial under-fired charbroilers.

If the AQMD fails to meet the federal clean air deadlines, there’s a lot at stake. The state may lose billions of dollars in federal highway funds, have higher costs for emissions credits for new businesses as well as a possible imposition of a federal clean air plan. This new plan is to be presented to the AQMD Governing Board on June 1 for approval.

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