Alaskans’ Cost of Staying Warm: A Thick Coat of Dirty Air (This is What Climate Regulations Do)

By KIRK JOHNSONDEC. 25, 2016
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And forces are now converging to heighten the tension in this seemingly unlikely pollution story. Civil fines by Fairbanks North Star Borough — which includes the cities of Fairbanks and North Pole, with a total population of about 100,000 — could be assessed in coming days against residential polluters. The E.P.A. could declare the entire area to be in “serious” noncompliance of the Clean Air Act early next year, with potentially huge economic implications, including a cutoff of federal transportation funds.

Some residents said they feared that an overreaching government, locally and in Washington, was out to take away their stoves. Others, like Dr. Olson, who works with racing sled dogs in her veterinary practice and volunteers with Citizens for Clean Air, a local group that has sued the E.P.A. to force a decision on Fairbanks pollution, said the exact opposite.
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www.nytimes.com...

This is what I was fearing. The EPA under Obama's administration has implemented several "regulations to combat climate" which will affect the livelihood of many people and possibly their lives. While on the one hand the pollution due to the cold weather in Alaska "could be bad". (dunno about you guys but these days I don't trust anything the EPA says) On the other hand what are people in Alaska and other similar states going to do? Go through winter without heating their homes?

Not everyone in Alaska, or other states, is able to afford the prices for heating their homes, which is why they have to resort to burning wood.

So we have got people like "Dr. Olsen" who "supposedly" wants to force people to buy new stoves when the cost of heating in Alaska is the highest in the nation.

In 2008 the EPA declared an area of nonattainment for Fairbanks and the North Pole.

“That guy has got an old stove, right there,” Dr. Jeanne Olson, a veterinarian and air quality volunteer, said on a recent afternoon, pointing from the cab of her four-wheel-drive Toyota toward a spiraling column of thick gray smoke from a homeowner’s chimney.
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www.nytimes.com...

Sitting in her high horse this veterinarian, who probably makes more money than a lot of people in Alaska, apparently wants the government to enter people's homes to see what sort of stove they are using, what wood they are burning, and heck why not even tell the other homeowner how much wood he/she should burn to keep warm?...

But hey Olsen's 4 wheel drive had a thermometer that said temperatures were -30 degrees, but she doesn't seem to care about that, or the fact that a lot of people can't afford other sources of heating.

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Compounding the matter further is the fact the Interior struggles with some of the highest heating costs of any community its size in the U.S. In an unfortunate twist, the declaration of the nonattainment area in the borough closely paralleled a dramatic increase in cost for heating fuel, with costs rising to the vicinity of $4 per gallon. That triggered many local residents, especially those with limited means, to switch to wood stoves or wood- and coal-fired outdoor boilers for home heating, to combat costs. Wood and coal, particularly when burned outside of the optimal temperature and moisture range, are prime sources of PM 2.5 pollution.
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www.newsminer.com... html

A lot of people living in Alaska can't afford any other type of heating device apart from wood stoves so they will be facing hefty fines. (Thank you President Obama and EPA, you are these people's saviors) Either that or they don't heat their homes and live miserable and cold through winter. But hey people can't die of cold right? I mean it's just -30 to -45 or less... Anyone can live through that without any heat sources... (sarcasm off)

So what are these people supposed to do?

Use HD grow lights throughout the inside of their homes, coupled with fresh vegetables and any legal cash crops of note.

AND why they're ignored as well.
I'm seeing EPA officials about to face severe attrition in the cold...

a reply to: ElectricUniverse

Hum, as an Alaskan all I have to say about anybody from New York City telling me how to live (and most Alaskans will say the same)...

Go F# yourself.

We have wood fired stoves to keep warm. That is most of the pollutants right there. And yeah, 30 below (F) is effing cold. Sorry the world doesn't run on unicorn farts.

GFY lady

The Administration scorched earth agenda is off and running.

Do as much damage before Jan 20th.

a reply to: xuenchen

It is a God Given Right of Survival for Man to Burn Wood Fires to Stay Warm in Cold Harsh Enviorments . No Man has the Right to Deny Another Man the Ability to Stay Alive in such Conditions . It would be Considered an Act of War . The E.P.A. is Guilty of just that here .

a reply to: IgnoranceIsntBlisss

And what powers those lights,

a reply to: Zanti Misfit

Damn straight

This is an ongoing attack against self sufficiency. They want every one, I mean EVERY ONE sucking from their teets, or else. If you can manage without them or their monopolistic corporate utilities.. you are a threat.
This whole thing against wood burning stoves all started in California. Eff the EPA

a reply to: TEOTWAWKIAIFF

That veterinarian is actually from Alaska, she lives in Fairbanks. She is part of "Obama's New Clean air Act brigade"... I am saying new because under the Obama administration these old bills like the clean air act have been rewritten to the "progressive new standards." In another thread I pointed out how another of Obama's "re-writting of old bills" has led to the EPA claiming they can take lands from people because water runoff runs through their property...

Here are some of the other ways that the AGW crowd want to impose on all of us.

From the EPA under Obama's watch using the Clean Water Act to EPA Goes After Low-Income Farmers In Land Grab

To AGW people wanting to impose Climate-change activists call for tax policies to discourage childbirth

But hey, after all all these draconian laws that the Obama administration want to impose on us are about EPA Chief concedes climate rule; it's about 'reinventing a global economy'

But hey, it's all "for the good of all and the Earth" so it should be alright...

Their problem is they can't find a way to tax trees/firewood. So EPA regulations is their work around.
Sound familiar? I can think of another plant that they can't easily regulate.

I live in Cali and they already restrict fire places and wood burning. They want to come in my home, and charge me a fee to check my wood burning insert for compliance. I ignore them and burn anyway. It was in the 20s here recently. My insert wasn't cheap and is EPA certified. Screw them , Ive done and spent enough already. They are fining people for having fires on days without approval. I burn wood from my trees on my lot for free heat.
They need to leave alsakans alone or just buy them more efficient clean burning stoves

a reply to: TEOTWAWKIAIFF

These children of cities know nothing of real kife

a reply to: visitedbythem
Good for you.

That stupid corrupt inspection is to verify that you use an EPA certified stove..ergo; we taxed you already. The stove manufacturer(s) has to spend money for the certification and passes the cost to the buyer, hence a tax. And if your not compliant, a fine is issued. Another tax.

They get you coming and going.

a reply to: jappee

I think they want to make money on the inspection fee too. That's their little trick. I already have to pay to have my truck smog checked every other year. There are so many taxes and fees here, to sustain cushy big government nonsense jobs, while I work my ass off in a steel mill. Screw them

a reply to: visitedbythem
Correct, IMO

California is full of these tricks. It's like a test-bed for oppressive regulations. The more successful ones are then noticed and then applied them to other regions. California is like a regulatory petri dish to them.

It's all part of the EPA reach around..Erm, EPA work around.

Our government doesn't like freedom, or self sufficiency.

a reply to: jappee


Right.

Cesspools were a real good idea too.

Up to a point.

a reply to: ElectricUniverse

She needs to worry about her own sins and stop trying too interfere with other people's lives.

a reply to: ElectricUniverse

It is too early to do all this. Allow people to actually live as they are accustomed to instead of enforcing stupid laws.

Yeah something needs to be done about the air quality in Fairbanks but this is dumb and wrong.

Fusion is coming. Ends this discussion at that moment. Trying to force regulations upon a municipality because some are not even part of the grid is stupid.

I don't care if she is from Fairbanks... she is a vet as in animals. who cares about her feelings?? Beats freezing to death.

Why would anyone in this day and age not use an efficient wood stove? Thirty years ago we heated a 1600 sq ft cabin high in the Sierras with one efficient wood stove. We had worked with old wood burners in the past, the efficient stoves used less wood to get a great heat throughout the house. .... we also had a wood burning outdoor hot tub.