2023 Colorado Revised Statutes › Title 25 - PUBLIC HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT (§§ 25-1-101 — 25-59-106) › ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL (§§ 25-6.5-101 — 25-18.9-105) › Article 7 - AIR QUALITY CONTROL (§§ 25-7-101 — 25-7-1604) › Part 4 - CONTROL OF POLLUTION CAUSED BY WOOD SMOKE (§§ 25-7-401 — 25-7-413) › Section 25-7-413 - Methods for reducing wood smoke in program area

(1)
Methods for reducing wood smoke in the program area may be implemented, as follows:
(a)
Voluntary financial incentives.
The lead air quality planning agency for the Denver metropolitan area shall work with other organizations to establish a program of financial incentives to encourage and defray the costs associated with conversions to Phase III wood stoves or to gas or electric devices. The program shall include incentives to use energy efficient devices.
(b)
Educational program.
The lead air quality planning agency for the Denver metropolitan area shall work with public and private organizations to promote the following: The voluntary upgrade of conventional wood-burning stoves to Phase III stoves and the conversion of existing conventional fireplaces to fireplace inserts or to gas or electric devices;
(c)
Voluntary conversions.
(I)
The commission shall establish goals for voluntary conversion of wood-burning units to cleaner burning technology to be met by December 31, 1994, and by December 31, 1997. The primary objective of the goals shall be to attain and maintain standards for particulate matter established pursuant to the federal "Clean Air Act", taking into account other strategies adopted in the state implementation plan. The goals established by the commission may not exceed the following maximum levels:
(A)
The conversion or nonuse of one hundred thousand conventional wood-burning fireplaces to clean technology by December 31, 1994, and one hundred fifty thousand by December 31, 1997;
(B)
The conversion or nonuse of twenty thousand conventional wood stoves to Phase III wood stoves by December 31, 1994, and thirty thousand conversions by December 31, 1997.
(II)
The goals established pursuant to subparagraph (I) of this paragraph (c) may be less than the maximum levels if the commission determines that such nonuse or conversions are not necessary to attain and maintain federal particulate matter standards.
(d)
Contingency plan.
(I)
In the event that goals established in paragraph (c) of this subsection (1) are not met, or the commission determines that wood-burning controls are necessary to either attain or maintain the standards for particulate matter established pursuant to the 1990 amendments to the federal "Clean Air Act", taking into account other strategies, the commission shall develop and implement a contingency plan.
(II)
Prior to the development of the contingency plan, the commission shall contract with an independent contractor to conduct a random survey of the program area to determine public preferences for various wood smoke reduction strategies and shall hold a public hearing before adopting any recommendations concerning wood smoke reduction strategies, which recommendations shall be submitted to the general assembly for action.
(III)
Strategies surveyed for public preference and considered by the commission for inclusion in the contingency plan shall include, but need not be limited to, the following:
(A)
Charging a fee for residents of dwellings who wish to burn wood in a conventional stove or fireplace and using the fee for conversion incentives, enforcement of rules against burning wood without having paid a fee, and monitoring for compliance with rules;
(B)
Conversion to clean burning devices upon the sale of a dwelling unit containing a conventional fireplace or non-Phase III wood stove;
(C)
Removal of the exemption for primary heat sources on no-burn days;
(D)
A permit-to-burn program with a maximum number of permits determined by the commission and issued in a random but proportional manner throughout the program area.
(2)
Verifying voluntary conversions.
To measure and verify progress in regard to the provisions of subsection (1) of this section, the commission shall do the following:
(a)
The commission shall develop measures for obtaining from consumers in the program area pledges not to use any device other than a Phase III wood stove, fireplace insert, or a gas or electric fireplace; and
(b)
The department of revenue shall adopt a procedure for tracking conversions of non-Phase III wood stoves and fireplaces and, if applicable, the number of non-Phase III wood stoves permanently destroyed, which procedure shall include a requirement that retailers regularly submit to the commission the number of consumer purchases of Phase III wood stoves or inserts or gas or electric fireplaces.
(3)
Wood smoke reduction fee - termination.
(a)
On and after July 1, 1992, any retailer who sells a new wood stove or insert or a gas or electric fireplace or fireplace that uses a gas or electric device in the program area shall obtain from the purchaser a signed conversion form, which form shall be provided by the department of revenue, or an entity with which the department is hereby authorized to contract, affirming the purchase of such device and indicating whether the purchase is in connection with a conversion to a cleaner burning device. In addition to obtaining the signed conversion form, the retailer shall submit to the department of revenue in accordance with paragraph (b) of this subsection (3) a fee in the amount of one dollar.
(b)
On and after July 1, 1992, and in accordance with paragraph (c) of this subsection (3), the retailer shall submit to the department of revenue the conversion form along with the fee described in paragraph (a) of this subsection (3). The department of revenue shall transmit the fee to the state treasurer who shall credit the same to the wood smoke reduction fund, which fund is hereby created. The moneys in the fund shall be subject to annual appropriation by the general assembly to the department of revenue to cover the direct and indirect costs of developing a conversion form in accordance with paragraph (a) of this subsection (3), tracking conversion in accordance with paragraph (a) of this subsection (3) and paragraph (b) of subsection (2) of this section, and for the department of public health and environment to conduct a survey in connection with the implementation of a contingency plan in accordance with paragraph (d) of subsection (1) of this section; except that no moneys shall be used for conducting a survey in connection with the implementation of a contingency plan in accordance with paragraph (d) of subsection (1) of this section without specific approval by the joint budget committee. In accordance with section
24-36-114
, C.R.S., all interest derived from the deposit and investment of this fund shall be credited to the general fund. The department of revenue, or the entity with which the department has contracted pursuant to paragraph (a) of this subsection (3), shall submit a report to the commission on the number of conversions no later than thirty days after receiving reports from retailers in accordance with paragraph (c) of this subsection (3).
(c)
The retailer shall submit semi-annual reports to the department of revenue no later than on the twentieth day of the month after the close of the preceding six-month period together with the conversion forms and the remittance for all fees collected for the preceding six-month period. If no fees are submitted by the retailer, no report is necessary.
(d)
Effective July 1, 1997, the wood smoke reduction fund and the wood smoke reduction fee are eliminated, and the following provisions shall apply:
(I)
A retailer within the program area that sells a new wood stove or insert, or a gas or electric fireplace that uses a gas or electric device, between January 1, 1997, and June 30, 1997, shall submit a final semi-annual report to the department of revenue no later than July 20, 1997, together with:
(A)
Signed conversion forms indicating whether such purchases were made in connection with a conversion to a cleaner burning device; and
(B)
A remittance of the wood smoke reduction fees collected during such period.
(II)
A retailer who does not have fees to remit pursuant to sub-subparagraph (B) of subparagraph (I) of this paragraph (d) need not file a final semi-annual report.
(III)
Moneys held by the state treasurer in the wood smoke reduction fund on July 1, 1997, and any moneys credited to the fund on or after such date shall be transferred to the general fund.
(4)
Commission - rule-making.
The commission may promulgate rules necessary for the effectuation of this section.
(5)
Repealed.
L. 92: Entire section added, p. 1320, § 1, effective May 27. L. 94: (3)(b) and (5) amended, p. 2786, § 507, effective July 1. L. 97: (3) amended, p. 1609, § 1, effective June 4. L. 2008: (5) repealed, p. 1907, § 102, effective August 5.
For the legislative declaration contained in the 1994 act amending subsections (3)(b) and (5), see section 1 of chapter 345, Session Laws of Colorado 1994.