Their smokestacks must be higher than the highest point of any home within 500 feet. They must be built at least 200 feet away from a dwelling that doesn't benefit from the heat it generates. That means furnaces that don't pass muster in those states can be sold in Connecticut.īut state regulations passed in 2005 set some land-use regulations for wood furnaces. There's no good count of how many wood appliances there are in the state, Robert Girard, assistant director for the air pollution control division of DEEP.Ĭonnecticut - unlike New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island - does not have any standards governing what outdoor air furnaces emit. "We came very close last year," Krivda said. The state Department of Agriculture has generally opposed such regulations, arguing the farmers - who often cut and burn wood for heat - have a right to do so.īut George Krivda, public affairs officer for the department, said the EPA decision may clear the way to get something done in the 2014 session. People with heart, vascular or lung disease, older adults and children are the most at risk.'' From the Environmental Protection Agency document "Why does the EPA regulate residential wood heaters?' See More Collapse The fine particles in smoke - also called fine particle pollution or PM2.5 - can get deep into the lungs, harming the lungs, blood vessels and heart. Residential wood smoke can increase particle pollution to levels that pose serious health concerns, and in some areas constitutes a significant portion of the fine particle pollution problem. "Smoke from residential wood heaters contains fine particle pollution, also known as fine particulate matter or PM2.5, along with other pollutants including carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), black carbon, and air toxics, such as benzene. Ed Meyer, D-Guilford, co-chairman of General Assembly's Environment Committee.
#Smoke on the water weston free
The EPA's announcement may also free the legislature to take some action on the issue - something it's been unable to do since 2005.
![smoke on the water weston smoke on the water weston](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/e6278a_2969933baa754fc4ad462cb44a9a1f2f~mv2.jpg)
She said a suit brought this year against the EPA by six state attorneys general - including Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen - may have focused the EPA's attention on the issue.
![smoke on the water weston smoke on the water weston](https://www.cigarsnobmag.com/wp-content/uploads/img-148.jpg)
In all, the EPA has said, the new standards will create a $1.8 billion to $2.4 billion a year economic benefit in the U.S.Īlderman said although the EPA is supposed to revisit regulations every eight years, it's been 25 years since the federal government has done so. They'll also reduce the health costs caused by breathing smoky air. Those who own them will spend less on wood, saving money on fuel. These new stoves will burn wood much more efficiently. At the end of five years, the EPA has said, the wood stoves and furnaces on the market will be 80 percent cleaner than those sold today. The EPA would tighten the new regulations over five years. The issue has been a dirty one for the state. "It's definitely out there," Culbert said of the problem. In Newtown, a short distance to the north, Donna Culbert, the town health director, said she gets complaints about wood furnaces on a regular basis.
![smoke on the water weston smoke on the water weston](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/B9PcCw47V0g/sddefault.jpg)
The neighbor, who owns the wood furnace, Joe Tassitano, said the complaints won't deter him from using his furnace.