Stop use of wood burning fireplaces in Gainesville

Gainesville has no ordinance about wood burning fireplace emissions.

According to information on http://www.burningissues.org: "Burning solid fuel yields particulate pollution - solid particles smaller than a red blood cell which have been implicated in 30,000 deaths in the US and 2.1 million deaths world wide per year. "

The climate in Gainesville is warm most of the year. However, during colder periods the amount of air pollution caused by residents burning wood in their fireplaces is so extreme that even a well-sealed house does not completely keep out the particles.

Gainesville is one of the greenest cities in the United States. It is likely the only one with a 164-acre nature preserve sitting nearly in its center. It is unconscionable that it freely allows residents to endanger the health of their neighbors and of the numerous wildlife.

We respectfully ask the City Commission to pass a city ordinance that prohibits residents from burning wood in their fireplaces unless they install environmentally safe upgrades. We ask that the city set reasonable time limits for residents to obtain upgrades and that it work together with the utility company, Gainesville Regional Utilities, to offer residents rebates for installing upgrades.