EPA To Alaskans In Sub-Zero Temps: Stop Burning Wood To Keep Warm

[Doug Loss]

I've had the best luck gutting them first, than hanging them upside down for a few days to cure.  Then you want to be sure to stack them feet first.

I've heard they burn kind of greasy.  You want to keep an eye out for chimney fires...

[Gov Bean Counter]

I've had the best luck gutting them first, than hanging them upside down for a few days to cure.  Then you want to be sure to stack them feet first.

The secret is in the sauce...

[Emjay]

This whole thing is a huge mistake for an agency that most people already hate.

Are they stupid as well as unnecessary?

[Chosen Daughter]

Not in favor of this actually. I was just saying some wood stoves pollute.

People who heat with wood don't use green wood.  It plugs up your chimney.  Most know better and don't do it.  As I said in the other thread Alaska is very clean.  Most use solar, wind or hydro to power if they are off the grid and there is no other heat besides wood.

[Hondo69]

Those who live in rural locations have an understanding of nature not appreciated by city dwellers.  This is because they've witnessed a 10 minute hail storm wipe out a year's worth of crop tending.  And they've seen the incredible power of mother nature wipe out their homes.  They appreciate the fact that human beings are way down the totem pole when it comes to the big picture of true power and control.

Which explains why those who live in rural locations tend to be conservationists.

City dwellers, on the other hand, tend to be environmentalists.  They lack the critical understanding of man's place on the totem pole.

There is a big difference between conservationists and environmentalists.

[DB]

There's practically a square mile of land for every human in Alaska. It would be mighty difficult for a human with a stove to significantly affect a square mile (640 acres) of land's air... But the government's busy bodies can't leave it alone...

[Smokin Joe]

Those who live in rural locations have an understanding of nature not appreciated by city dwellers.  This is because they've witnessed a 10 minute hail storm wipe out a year's worth of crop tending.  And they've seen the incredible power of mother nature wipe out their homes.  They appreciate the fact that human beings are way down the totem pole when it comes to the big picture of true power and control.

Which explains why those who live in rural locations tend to be conservationists.

City dwellers, on the other hand, tend to be environmentalists.  They lack the critical understanding of man's place on the totem pole.

There is a big difference between conservationists and environmentalists.

Well said.

[libertybele]

This whole thing is a huge mistake for an agency that most people already hate.

Are they stupid as well as unnecessary?

IF the EPA thinks that they are going to waltz onto someone's property to enforce this ridiculous regulation then yes they are stupid.  Obviously, this isn't just going to apply to AK, those living in areas with extremely harsh winters like MT, MN, ME, etc. also use wood to heat.  If a storm strikes and the electricity goes out and they've got a woodstove and a pile of wood sitting there, do you think they are going to chose freezing to death over complying with some government red tape?? 

[libertybele]

Not in favor of this actually. I was just saying some wood stoves pollute.

Ya and so do cow farts and barbecue grills. 

[Sanguine]

Those who live in rural locations have an understanding of nature not appreciated by city dwellers.  This is because they've witnessed a 10 minute hail storm wipe out a year's worth of crop tending.  And they've seen the incredible power of mother nature wipe out their homes.  They appreciate the fact that human beings are way down the totem pole when it comes to the big picture of true power and control.

Which explains why those who live in rural locations tend to be conservationists.

City dwellers, on the other hand, tend to be environmentalists.  They lack the critical understanding of man's place on the totem pole.

There is a big difference between conservationists and environmentalists.

Very well said!

[Wingnut]

I've heard they burn kind of greasy.  You want to keep an eye out for chimney fires...

I bet they can accelerate the buildup of creosote on chimney flue walls for sure.

[Eowyn]

This whole thing is a huge mistake for an agency that most people already hate.

Are they stupid as well as unnecessary?

I know.  I hope they keep it up.  Every time they do something stupid and abide their tyrannical power, more voters stand against the EPA and we move one step closer to being able to abolish that rogue agency.

[geronl]

Ya and so do cow farts and barbecue grills.

cow farts are easy, but it'll need to have a pilot light and then you can sell tickets  to watch the flame throwing....

[Smokin Joe]

I was using that as an example, there are other times when these air inversion can cause nasty air pollution to build up. I'm as libertarian as the next guy, but air pollution doesn't respect property lines.

From Wikipedia about the Donora Smog (your link):

The pollutants in the air mixed with fog to form a thick, yellowish, acrid smog that hung over Donora for five days. The sulfuric acid, nitrogen dioxide, fluorine, and other poisonous gases that usually dispersed into the atmosphere were caught in the inversion and accumulated until rain ended the weather pattern

H₂SO₄, NO₂, and F₂ are not typical components of wood smoke.

Temperature inversions typically trap air in valleys (which is what happened at Donora). You have to have the right topography and weather conditions to trap pollutants, and you have to have a high enough population density for the pollutants to reach harmful concentrations.

Without the industrial sources, likely Donora and the residents would have been fine.

When you have one person per square mile, or even a dozen heating separate residences with wood, that smoke isn't generally going to cause any problems, even if it is trapped by an thermal inversion. You have to have a valley to trap the air in, and that is a fairly rare situation here in North Dakota. Despite having an average of 10 people per square mile here, most rural homes could be heated with wood or coal with no deleterious effects on the environment.