It’s that time of year, with the falling leaves and branches there seems to be a smoldering pile of debris on every corner. However, do you know that there are rules in Livingston Parish pertaining to outdoor burning? Believe it or not, we have laws that govern when, where, and what we can burn. This article will outline what they are and why we should care.
The Clean Air Act of 1970 was created to help curve air pollution and promote public health. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) overseas States efforts and together they approve enforcement guidelines.
Louisiana Administrative Code, Title 33 ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY, Part III Air (LAC 33:III)1 outlines that for Parishes with less than 300,000 resident and more than 90,000 (Livingston):
1) You can burn leaves, grass, twigs, branches, and vines by private property owner for non-commercial purposes. Does not include trees and brush. Fires must be attend at all times.
2) Land clearing can only be done under the following conditions: (a) Winds away from town/city (b) At least 1000 ft from dwelling not located on property (c) Minimize dirt on the material being burned (d) Burning must be conducted between 8 am and 5 pm (e) Must be controlled as to not cause a traffic hazard.
3) No person shall cause or allow the outdoor burning of waste material or other combustible material on any property owned by him or under his control – this can include processed wood (lumber, plywood, cardboard), gas, diesel, paints, etc.
Obviously based on this criteria, much of the burning in our Parish is questionable. You must attend the fire at all times. Letting a fire burn through the night or while you are at work without supervision, is prohibited. Trash must be properly disposed of and thrown away, not burned. Construction site burning of processed wood and debris are also prohibited. According to the Livingston Parish Public Works website, they offer “Roadside litter pick up along with white goods and vegetative debris”. White goods consist of washers, refrigerators, etc. Perhaps this is not the most convenient solution, but is it the proper thing to do?
Why should we care?
The wildfires on the west coast in 2020 gave us a glimpse in what it is like when air quality degrades to an extreme level. Many sheltered in place for weeks and the effects of the fires were felt hundred of miles away. According to an article in Stanford Medicine “We are finding that there are increases in asthma, heart attacks and strokes during this week of wildfires compared to the week prior. People who are over 65 years of age have a higher chance of heart attacks and strokes even after two to three days of bad air quality due to wildfire smoke.”2 Although this is an extreme scenario, we can see where poor air quality is linked to increased health issues.
Not just older folks are affected. Most allergies are caused by poor air quality and are the most chronic disease in children3. People with asthma and those with respiratory issues, struggle especially this time of year. Obviously, trash and vegetative burning can add greatly to a decrease in our air quality.
What should we do?
We need to decide as a community, do we want to continue on with the status quo, or try to improve our community. So, should we start reporting it? The first step of change is to educate each other about our laws and how to keep each other safe. This can be done with considerate conversations with each other and bringing awareness on social media platforms. It is part of this organization’s challenge to bring these topics to the forefront for discussion and community consideration. Sound off on our Facebook page.
Change is hard, but if we care about our community and fellow citizens, both young and old, we can make LP a better place. For more information, go to the LA DEQ website or contact your local Fire Department.
Louisiana Dept. of Environmental Quality: 1 (888) 763-5424
LA DEQ Regional Office: https://deq.louisiana.gov/directory/division/22
1 https://www.deq.louisiana.gov/resources/category/regulations-lac-title-33
2 http://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2020/08/researchers-discuss-health-impacts-of-wildfires.html
3 https://www.webmd.com/children/features/child-allergies#1
To report errors and clarifications please contact: better4lp@gmail.com