# San

# JoaqulnValley 17 HEALTHY

# AIR LIVINGAIR 

### PÍIILUTIflil 

### CflilTRflt DISTRICT July 

### 20, 2015

Andrew Steckel Rules Office 

### Chief (Air-a) U.S. Environmental Protection 

### Agency 75 Hawthorne Street 

### San Francisco, 

### CA 94105 Dear Mr. Steckel, 

### The purpose of

### this letter is

### to provide you 

### with additional information regarding District Rule 

### 4901 (Wood Burning Fireplaces and

### Wood Burning 

### Heaters). ln 

### evaluating District Rule 

### 4901's stringency in comparison 

### with similar SIP 

### approved rules, EPA must evaluate 

### the rules in

### their

### entirety. ln 

### doing so,

### we believe EPAwill 

### findthat Rule 4901 is

### the most 

### stringent rule in

### the 

### nation. Furthermore, 

### the September 

### 18,2014 amendments make 

### this rule more stringent than 

### the current 

### version previously approved by 

### EPA. Please refer to

### the District's 

### staff report

### for a

### detailed demonstration. 

### ln relation to

### visible emissions, District Rule 

### 4901 imposes 

### additional restrictions beyond 

### what is

### already required under 

### the District's SIP 

### approved Rule 

### 4101 (Visible 

### Emissions). While Rule 

### 4101 allows 

### visible emissions up

### to Ringelmann 1 

### (or20% opacity), Rule 

### 4901 prohibitsvisible 

### emissions, Rule

### 4901 creates no exemptions from 

### the Rule 

### 4101visible emissions limitations during 

### any mode 

### of source operation (including 

### stadup, shutdown or malfunction/upset

### conditions). Rule 410'1

### visible emissions limitations 

### will continue 

### to apply in addition to 

### the morestringent requirements 

### under Rule 4901. 

### With respect 

### to unseasoned 

### wood, even ifone 

### erroneously assumes 

### that

### the use 

### of such 

### wood is 

### permissible under Rule4901, when 

### the rule 

### stringency as a

### whole is 

### considered, District Rule 

### 4901 will 

### still be more stringent 

### than other rules 

### that explicitly prohibit 

### the use of such 

### wood. That said, 

### the strict 

### visible emission restrictions inthe rule and the 

### following provisions serve 

### to prevent 

### the use 

### of unseasoned wood: 

# o Paragraphs 5.1 

### and 5.2,

### which restrict sale and 

### transfer of non-certified wood 

### burning heaters. 

# o Paragraph 5.3, 

### which limits 

### the amount of

### wood burning 

### fireplaces and heaters in new 

### residential developments. 

# o Paragraph 5.4, 

### which describes requirements regarding 

### advertising for sale 

### of seasoned wood.



# . Paragraph 5.5, 

### which prohibits burning in a

### wood burning 

### fireplace or heater garbage, 

### treated wood, and 

### various other listed material. Seyed Sadredin Erecutive DirectorlAir Pollution Control 0fficer

florthern Begion 4800 Enterprise Way Modesto, CA 95356-87 18 Tel:12091 557.6400 FAX: (2091 557.6475 Central Region (Main 0llico) 1990 E. Gettysburg Avenue Fresno, CA 93728-0244 Tel: {559) 230-6000 FAX: (559) 230.6061 Southern Region 34946 Flyover Court Bakerslield, CA 93308.9725 Tel: 661-392-5500 FAX: 66'l-392-5585 www.valleyair.org www.healthyairliving.com Prht.d m mycbd p.p¿r €¡July 20,2015

Page2 Furthermore, 

### paragraph 5.4 includes aseasoned 

### wood labeling restriction, paragraph 5.1.3 requires retailers 

### to provide information 

### on 

### properfuel selection and use, and 

### the District encourages 

### the use 

### of seasoned wood 

### through our 

### extensive check before you burn program 

### outreach materials and website (http ://unruw. va Ileya ir.o rg/aq info/cbvb, htm ). I hope

### this information is helpful
Si

Sheraz Gill Director of 

### Strategies and lncentives