PUBLIC hearings will be held next month in Dutchess County and Albany on a proposed statewide ban on outdoor burning.
The Department of Environmental Conservation says the ban would reduce the impacts of such pollutants as dioxins, particulate matter and carbon monoxide, and limit the risks of wildfires.
Open burning of residential wastes in any city or village, or any town with a population of 20,000 or more, has been prohibited by the state since 1972. But such burning is allowed elsewhere in New York.
The proposed rule allows for exceptions, including campfires, prescribed burns, celebratory bonfires (where allowed), fire training exercises, specialized burning to protect crops from frost and the burning of agricultural wastes (though not agricultural plastics).
The state will conduct a series of public hearings on the proposed ban.
Among them:
* June 24, 5 to 8 p.m.,
Norrie Point Environmental Center, Margaret Lewis Norrie State Park, 256 Norrie Point Way, Staatsburg (Dutchess County).
* June 25, 9:30 a.m. to noon,
DEC Central Office, 625 Broadway, Public Assembly Room 129, Albany.
Written comments are accepted through 5 pm, July 10, 2008 and should be directed to:
Robert Stanton
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Division of Air Resources
625 Broadway, 2nd Floor
Albany, NY 12233-3254
Telephone (518) 402-8403
More information on the proposed outdoor burning ban can be found on the DEC website
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