Senate agrees to equity in no-burn rules
 
Florez bill would prohibit ag burning when fireplace fires deemed unhealthy
 
SACRAMENTO – The California State Senate today advanced a measure by Senate Majority Leader Dean Florez (D-Shafter) which seeks to prohibit agricultural burning on days where air quality has been deemed too unhealthy to light a fire in the fireplace.
 
The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, which oversees one of the nation’s smoggiest regions, prohibits lighting fireplace fires on days where air quality has been deemed unhealthy.  Agricultural operations, however, are allowed to continue open-field burning of agricultural waste until pollution has reached much higher levels.
 
According to the Bakersfield Californian, agriculture has burned 711 acres of waste on fireplace “no-burn” days since November alone, and Florez is concerned with the negative health impacts created by this inequity.
 
“If you are telling me that air quality is such that I should not be spewing smoke into the air, then the farmer down the street should also not be spewing smoke into that same air,” said Florez, who chairs the Senate Select Committee on Air Quality.  “We are all captive to the geography of this air basin, and we all need to do our part to clean the air our children have to breathe.”
 
Senate Bill 382 passed the Senate by a vote of 23-14 and will next be up for consideration by the California State Assembly.

For Immediate Release                          Jennifer Hanson
May 14, 2009                                        916-651-4016
 
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