Proposed Amended Rule 445 – Wood-Burning Devices

Rule 445 limits particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 microns (PM2.5) emissions from residential wood combustion by prohibiting the burning of products not intended for use as fuel, prohibiting the sale of unseasoned wood, and mandating the curtailment of wood burning on “No-Burn” days when ambient PM2.5 concentration is forecast to exceed a threshold limit during the wood-burning season (beginning of November through the end of February). The primary objective of Proposed Amended Rule 445 (PAR 445) is to comply with the federal Clean Air Act Most Stringent Measure (MSM) requirements for the 2012 PM2.5 National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) and to implement Control Measure BCM-18: Further Emissions Reductions from Wood-Burning Fireplaces and Wood Stoves, of the South Coast Air Basin Attainment Plan for the 2012 Annual PM2.5 Standard (PM2.5 Plan). PAR 445 will lower the mandatory wood-burning curtailment threshold from 29 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m3) to 25 µg/m3. The proposal will also remove the existing low-income exemption and include other updates such as removing outdated provisions, allowing reconstruction of wood-burning devices damaged or destroyed due to a natural disaster, aligning enforcement practices consistent with other South Coast AQMD rules, correcting references, and improving clarity. Implementation of PAR 445 is anticipated to benefit public health and ambient air quality by reducing PM2.5 emissions by 0.25 ton per annual average day as well as reducing emissions of other criteria pollutants and hazardous air pollutants.