Burner plan pitched
The resource consent process may be the best way to help Timaru householders meet clean air rules, a residents’-led lobby group suggests.
Environment Canterbury will be asked to consider the plan as a way to avoid the potentially costly imposition of the regional air policy’s wood burner rule. The rule says burners aged 15 years or older cannot be used and must be replaced with a low emission type.
The deadline to have applied to replace such aa burner with a low emission, rather than ultra-low emission, burner is October 31.
Regional council representatives have, on numerous occasions, said the deadline stands and that non-compliance is not an option by next winter.
They have also said retrofitting older burners in a bid to meet the discharge rules was neither practical or cost effective, and would require individual laboratory tests.
However, the South Canterbury Regional Air Plan Liaison Committee on Tuesday confirmed it stood by its position that the blanket age-based ban should be removed.
Doing so would provide for the establishment of a more equitable rule which would target inefficient burners rather than older burners, chairman Mark Rogers said.
The committee wants ECan councillors to consider allowing older style burners to be modified under resource consent.
Such work would be done by a tradesperson and would be considered a discretionary activity requiring a resource consent and inspection, Rogers said.
‘‘The implementation of this discretionary activity, in combination with the removal of the 15 year ban, would not jeopardise the integrity of the Air Regional Plan and would ensure people with limited incomes would have warm homes in winter.’’
It was the committee’s belief that most older-style log burners could be upgraded and that local tradesmen rebuild, upgrade and modify them on a regular basis, he said.
Their work brings them up to a standard where there is no visible chimney smoke, after reasonable time for the firebox and flue to heat up, he said.
‘‘As visible chimney smoke is the basis for warnings, abatement notices and penalties we see no reason to require up-graded log burners to be laboratory tested.’’
Rogers said the committee continued t have some doubts doubts about the contribution wood burning home heaters had to air pollution in Timaru.
However, it accepted improvements needed to be made, Rogers said.
ECan Katherine Trought said it remained the council’s position that retrofitting burners was not possible under the air plan rules.
Officials were keen to meet the liaison committee, to further explore its position and the information it had to demonstrate its views.
The council continued to have constructive talks with burner retailers. It would be interested in further information about retrofitting already being done in the district.
The burner rule has become a general election issue with candidates pledging to get involved.
National Party candidate Andrew Falloon has invited Environment Minister Nick Smith to a public meeting on the clean air rules.
Falloon, who last week said the National Environment Standard required further change, on Monday said Smith had agreed to a meeting and a date was being developed.