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Uploaded: Wednesday, December 30, 2009, 3:21 PM                                             

Marin biggest violator of 'Spare the Air' day
Fireplace ban enforced on Christmas yields resistance

by Samantha Campos

Posted by Sparky Tuthill, a resident of the Kentfield neighborhood, on Dec 30, 2009 at 4:51 pm

Bay Area Air Quality Management District is a boondoggle for local politicians. Pacific Sun should do a story on how much these yokels get paid each year (including Hal Brown and Pam Torliatt). It is becoming a huge bureaucracy. Check their budget. I think we can get along without this unnecessary government agency. Now there is a story.

Posted by michael Venables, a resident of the Santa Venetia neighborhood, on Dec 30, 2009 at 5:11 pm

Let's see. First we schedule a "global warming" summit in Copenhagen in November, while most of Europe and our east coast and midwest are digging out of blizzard conditions. Then ban fireplace yule logs at home on a clear day. Next, ban already recycled plastic and paper bags from grocery stores. What am I supposed to line my garbage pail with? Fresh air? I can just see the Garbarino culinary institute unloading mountains of coffee grounds, fish bones, dog poop and cat litter without any of it wrapped in already recycled bags. Is this campaign financed by Hefty and other plastic bag companies? Shall we have to buy thick plastic bags to line our refuse bins? Then, let's hire as San Rafael Chamber of Commerce director the dope who ran Vallejo into bankruptcy.

Is it me? Am I going nuts?

For your kind consideration.

Posted by L White, a resident of the San Anselmo neighborhood, on Dec 30, 2009 at 5:20 pm

Just fill in the groups - tobacco smokers, skateboarders, mountain bikers, oyster growers, fireworks, plastic bags, lawn mowers, styrofoam "peanuts", kids named Madison running wild in restaurants.. whatever - The following progression framework holds true -

First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out--

because I was not a communist;

Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out--

because I was not a socialist;

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out--

because I was not a trade unionist;

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out--

because I was not a Jew;

Then they came for me--

and there was no one left to speak out for me.

Martin Niemoeller

They are looking into banning pizza ovens, bakery use and Webers on Spare the Air days, too.

Don't laugh. Later, it'll YOUR oven and it'll be "all days".

Watch.

$400 fine for a Christmas fireplace?

Couldn't CA have spent their 7 MILLION dollars in a better fashion? Like homeless shelters or teachers or job training for people who lost their jobs when industry moved out of state?

LW

Posted by L White, a resident of the San Anselmo neighborhood, on Dec 30, 2009 at 5:34 pm

Be it "me jaundiced Eye" that sees that people are getting fed up with self serving AND pandering politicians?

Even in Fairfax at Pancho Villa's.

As far as "Fireplace ban enforced on Christmas yields resistance"?

Yes - "I feel a disturbance in the Force."

And the incumbents are waving it off like a pesky fly.

LW

Posted by MarinResident, a resident of the Mill Valley neighborhood, on Dec 30, 2009 at 8:00 pm

Wow - L. White...

Do you really feel SO oppressed by the fireplace ban that you compare it to the Holocaust by quoting the Martin Niemoeller poem?

Posted by jennifer, a resident of the Forest Knolls neighborhood, on Dec 31, 2009 at 1:34 pm

To those who resent the bans -- If you had asthma and like being outdoors in our beautiful valley, you might think differently. Freedom comes with responsibility to consider the common good. I am heartened to hear from a professional in the heating business that Valley residents are investing in efficient heating systems to replace wood burning at a good pace, and that our air quality will be improving as a consequence. Then our occasional pleasure fires and the wood burning of people who can't heat in other ways will be less of a problem.

Posted by christopher, a resident of the Fairfax neighborhood, on Jan 1, 2010 at 3:05 am

while i appreciate the problem of san geronimo valley residnts with thepall of woodsmoke impacting their lives, please let me stress the fact that i believe woodsmoke is less harmful to our atmosphere than burning fossil fuels to heat our homes, furthermore, while our government is crying poor, they sit on huge reserves, all good so far, but enforcing a regulation on homeowners that has to do with the primordial need for open fires is a recipe for simply creating more outlaws, hello mtn bikers, why not cut back on all the county funded cars that pencil pushers drive around in? and how about outlawing regular diesel fuel, which is a known carcinogen, is anybody listening? our tax dollars are paying for the destruction of our air quality, clean that up before creating a new police state about woodsmoke( so unnatural!?!?) can any super greenie prove me wrong? ...waiting for am answer, how about a story, pac sun?

Posted by Ricardo, a resident of the Mill Valley neighborhood, on Jan 1, 2010 at 12:28 pm

I read an article that said out of the 27 complaints to the BAAQMD in Marin on Christmas day, 11 were in Woodacre, 11 were in Forest Knolls, 2 in Nicasio and the other 3 I don't remember. The 11 in Woodacre were all against one person who is exempt from the ban and the BAAQMD knows this. The 11 in Woodacre were all filed by the same person against their neighbor, but the BAAQMD still logs them as complaints.

On Christmas day I had a fire in my wood stove all day and I checked out the sky, it was crystal clear blue and no smoke at all anywhere in sight. There was no problem so I don't understand why some people make such a big deal out of nothing. I disregard senseless bans, if there was a problem with air quality from burning wood then I might spend the $25,000 to run a gas line to my house and install a central heating unit. But the wood stove still does a far superior job of heating at a fraction of the cost of installing a gas line and furnace.

To be honest I admit that I cannot afford the $25,000 and $300 per month to heat my house. The reason that there is no gas to my house is that the original owner's wife WAS ALLERGIC TO BURNING GAS ! Yes some people are allergic to many things, some are allergic to perfume, diesel exhaust, peanuts, antibiotics and on and on. So the only thing to do is avoid living or working where the allergins are.

If a person who grew up in the big city has been damaged by all the pollution from buses, trains, refineries, manufacturing, power plants, airports and shipping ports that are causing all their medical and mental problems then they should avoid moving to semi rural areas like west Marin where most people burn wood to heat their houses. It's simple, do some research before moving to west Marin, because to move here and then think you can force your problems on the locals will get you nowhere and there is no way we will change. Try moving to Arizona, I read that many sick people move there to get away from things that are causing them allergies.

Posted by johnnymarin, a resident of the San Rafael neighborhood, on Jan 2, 2010 at 4:56 pm

I'm happy to report that we also were burning logs on Christmas and did not get caught. It's winter and we love to burn logs for the heat and the atmosphere. I think I'll burn another one tonight in there honor.

Burn baby burn,

Posted by anon, a resident of the Mill Valley neighborhood, on Jan 4, 2010 at 11:16 am

People have been burning fires since the dawn of time and we'll continue to burn fires until the end of time.

Bigger violators out there would be those who fail to check their carbon monoxide emmissions from their cars or smokers, for instance.

Posted by L White, a resident of the San Anselmo neighborhood, on Jan 4, 2010 at 2:33 pm

This is an educational response - ('cause I'm part of the round tired, oyster eating, fireplace burning underground)

"Bigger violators out there would be those who fail to check their carbon monoxide emissions from their cars or smokers, for instance."

I can't vouch for smokers, but, automotive CO% emissions have dropped greatly from the 4% to 6% CO (carbon monoxide) by volume at idle and cruise in the pre 70 year models of cars and motorcycles.

"Newer", less than 20 years old cars are usually 1.5%-2% CO or under and in most cars made in the last 10-15 years, exhaust CO% is at 1% or less.

Automotive hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide emissions are far, far less of a problem than they used to be.

After you figure in manufacturing, transportation, emissions, a Prius can only be small fractions of 1% CO cleaner at a bigger hit to your pocketbook. But hey - money grows on trees.......

Most new cars won't even run correctly if something's wrong that's causes 6% CO these days.

Here's another potential little secret -

EPA sets up multiple monitoring stations in a county and considers "any one part" of a county able to trigger a countywide "alert".

Those of us who live in the north bay are aware that you can travel over a single hill and enter another "microclime", where the weather is different. It can be clear and crisp in Olema, hazy in Woodacre and just peachy in San Rafael - BUT - if ONE monitoring station reported excessive "particulate matter", they shut down the entire county.

That's how sneakily the EPA does it and, just a guess, how BAAQMD would do it, too. That lets them exaggerate the number of alert days for a larger area.

Oh! What if they are just playing weatherman and trying to predict an inversion and calm air.... Even Steve Paulson gets that wrong once in a while!

One of these days I'll test cigarette smoke -

Regards -

LW

Posted by L White, a resident of the San Anselmo neighborhood, on Jan 4, 2010 at 3:36 pm

Posted by MarinResident, a resident of the Mill Valley neighborhood, on Dec 30, 2009 at 8:00 pm

Wow - L. White...

Do you really feel SO oppressed by the fireplace ban that you compare it to the Holocaust by quoting the Martin Niemoeller poem?

......................

Don't be so "Wowed". [wink!]

I don't hold Niemoeller's writing in reverence - but it is clear, logical and a Life Lesson.

It starts off that they came for "someone else". And people did nothing, and so on and so on.

It's a lesson that people must (or should be) be aware of in their day to day lives.

When they finally come to take something that YOU have - there won't be anybody left to be on your side to join with.

The government already outlawed permanent outdoor grills, years ago, and the rest of us did nothing. They outlawed burning in your own fireplace, and people did nothing. They will outlaw kitchen grills and broilers, and people will do nothing. They will outlaw commercial grills and people will do nothing. They will outlaw wood fired pizza ovens and small bakeries, and people will do nothing. Someday they will take away something you care about. And I might still be around to help -

So - it's not that I'm comparing the significance of purist Nazi cleansing to a fireplace (ouch!), but I'm comparing the gist of what Martin is saying about the incessant, incremental steps of control that the all-pure government takes over on your and my life.

In decent humor -

LW

Posted by me, a resident of the San Anselmo neighborhood, on Jan 4, 2010 at 5:00 pm

With all due respect to L White, I know you didn't mean to be offensive, but I think it is extremely offensive and entirely self-centered to compare the 'oppression' you feel about not getting to have a fire with the internment in Nazi Germany. 'Coming for' in the poem means to murder them, and we are talking about burning fires. I think a little perspective is needed here.

And to the others who commented on how clear the air is, you are missing the point. The levels of dangerous particulates in the air that they are measuring are not tied to clear or smoggy skies. Wood smoke does emit worse particulates than the fossil fuel we use to heat our home, whether or not the reader here named Christopher believes it, it is a simple fact.

It is for the health of all residents, not just for the health of the planet. I love fires, particularly on the holidays. But I do see it as a tradition I can live without when it benefits the health of those around me and of the environment I live in.

Posted by Ricardo, a resident of the Mill Valley neighborhood, on Jan 4, 2010 at 5:23 pm

It is a known fact that some areas of Marin have very clean air at all times. Up in the hillside communities and out on the coast there are no power plants, shipping ports and diesel trucks, air ports, oil refineries, buses, trains, chrome plating plants, factories or In-N-out grillers. To test the air down in San Rafael or San Francisco which are in the Central Bay area and lump it with west Marin is not right. The things that I mentioned are the causes of air pollution so those are the things that need to be stopped in the areas that they are in. This one ban fits and cures all by the BAAQMD is bogus. All the polluting corporations and public entities transportation systems are the ones to blame, and they pay the BAAQMD to cook up these phony bans on private citizens in Marin. It's all a smokescreen fabricated by the BAAQMD. Let them put smog monitors on Mt. Tam and out on the coast to judge our air quality, Marin is not the North Bay, East Bay or South Bay, some call it the West Bay. Why should we have to sit and freeze in our homes so some stinking, polluting diesel train is allowed into Novato ? Some ting wong.

Posted by L White, a resident of the San Anselmo neighborhood, on Jan 4, 2010 at 6:40 pm

Dear Me -

You are right - I don't mean to be offensive, but, the Holocaust happened and if we don't learn what happens when people stand back and allow things to happen to their neighbors, well, we, are, essentially doomed to let whoever is in power take over and do what every government always eventually does - fail.

And take us with it. Look at how many civilizations have failed before. Seen a Mayan, lately?

Talking about the Holocaust as if it's a part of history - is simply that - it happened, it was heinous and we should learn from it. As we should also learn from Stalin's USSR and Communist China's purges - where even more millions of people were killed. It's not really a comfortable subject for some people to talk about - but, it did happen and it did happen because people let it happen.

...............

I say that banning fireplace burning is more control over everybody's lives and the perpetuation of something worse and you say it's a good thing because it will help a few people. A Quandary.

Maybe a 50% of the time they declare a "Stay inside Day" for them and 50% of the time a "Spare the Air" day? Compromise.

My sister is allergic to bird dander and feathers. I didn't sell the parrots - She just doesn't come to the house. Am I a bad brother? No. She accepts that I'm not selling the birds for her and we meet somewhere else. That's compromise.

...............

As far as particulate matter in the air, it actually is visible, as dust or a haze. You can have haze without particulate matter, but particulate matter always makes haze.

The WMO manual of codes includes a classification of horizontal obscuration into categories of fog, ice fog, steam fog, mist, haze, smoke, volcanic ash, dust, sand and snow. Sources for haze particles include farming (plowing dry dirt), traffic, industry, and wildfires.

Interestingly - according to the EPA PM-2.5 and PM-10 non-attainment maps,

Web Link

the BAAQMD doesn't even have any EPA non-attainment counties.

So, it's likely, whatever triggers our Spare the Air days is below what the EPA worries about.

It makes me wonder who's little fiefdom is the BAAQMD, anyway?

According to the EPA maps, where you don't want to be if you are hypersensitive to PM, is anywhere in the mid to south Central Valley, including the LA basin. It's the fine dry dust that gets picked up and blown around. Both PM 2.5 and 10. It's, by far, the largest single area of non-attainment in the US.

.............

Here's a Wow -

Web Link

Asthma development:

Not only does maternal smoking, indoor outdoor pollutants, caesareans (20% increase!), antibiotics, psychological stress cause the onset of asthma, so does being overweight while young.

Have a good eve, Me -

LW

Posted by L White, a resident of the San Anselmo neighborhood, on Jan 4, 2010 at 6:56 pm

Ricardo

There's a BEEQMD weather station on Mt Tam and one at the San Rafael QUARRY. Lessee.... quarry - dust.... highest PM readings.

That's the only 2 in Marin, period.

There's...... wait! The majority of reading stations are clustered right at sources, not at "average" areas. The Conoco-Phillips refinery has 4 stations surrounding it, for example. There's one at Cement Hill.

Web Link#

I see what they are doing - They aren't trying to get "average readings" they are trying to get the Highest flash readings.

LW

Posted by me, a resident of the San Anselmo neighborhood, on Jan 4, 2010 at 7:53 pm

To L White, you are definitely well informed in some areas, and I do agree that compromise is key. However, you are still defending the comparison of slaughtering millions of people because of their ethnicity, religion or sexual preference to banning fires in fireplaces. Yikes. I'm not uncomfortable talking about the Holocaust, only uncomfortable when someone makes an indirect comparison to the plight suffered by million in Europe due to the Holocaust with the plight suffered by Marinites with really clean air who aren't allowed to have a fire on Christmas.

And yes, I have seen a Mayan. There are many living in the Bay Area, though most call Southern Mexico and Guatemala home. Their native language is called Maya. Which kind of validates my point in the first paragraph, you seem to know about asthma and air quality, but are still lacking sensitivity and a global perspective in my humble opinion.

Posted by Ricardo, a resident of the Mill Valley neighborhood, on Jan 4, 2010 at 8:19 pm

So LW, the readings on Mt. Tam are good, so why do they only list the one in San Rafael ? The BAAQMD thinks we are stupid, but they are dead wrong. WHY ?, because we live here and can see what is happening. Their chinaniginins have gone too far. The BAAQMD has created their own demise in Marin by trying to take us all for fools, just like ABAG has done. They lost. BOOT EM DANO !

Posted by litcrit, a resident of the Mill Valley neighborhood, on Feb 5, 2010 at 1:30 pm

wow. what a bunch of selfish people. the air cannot be avoided when it's bad----as an asthmatic, i can tell the difference even indoors, and sometimes get breathing symptoms when there is no alert. but fireplaces and grills are the worst. "just live with it so i can have my fire." makes ya proud to be a marinite. asthma is no joke, it's on the increase. even if other things cause pollution too, and they do, if you have the choice, let other people breathe freely. i don't want to live in arizona. just imagine not being able to breathe----you'd be all up in arms about cigarette smoke, fires are even worse. ah, the compassionate folks of marin....