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ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />SUGGESTED ELEMENTS OF A PROPOSED POLICY GOVERNING <br />OPEN BURNING OF WOOD DEBRIS BY AGENCIES/ENTITIES <br />WHICH RECEIVE ORANGE COUNTY FUNDING <br />August 17, 1999 <br />The N. C. Division of Air Quality enforces open burning rules outside of municipal limits (and inside those <br />without burning rules of their own), but does not require permits for burning. The NC Division of Forest <br />Resources issues permits for open burning more than 100 feet from a home and within SDO feet of a <br />woodland. <br />All local governments could be asked to adopt the same open burning policy. Schools and non profit <br />organizations receiving funding from Orange County would be expected to adhere to the policy regarding <br />open burning. The following are points for consideration for discussion of such a policy. <br />The Orange County Commission for the Environment is currently considering alternatives to address <br />open burning as part of an overall air pollution plan. One option could be requesting limited delegation <br />of the state 's air pollution authority through a memorandum of agreement. A program for Orange County <br />could allow the County to have local review and assume enforcement and permitting authority for open <br />burning. Such a program, if implemented, could later supersede many of the ideas below. <br />Ideas for Consideration <br />- Requiring full exploration of alternatives to burning of leaves, branches and other plant growth <br />discarded through construction. Alternatives to burning include mulchinglchipping, composting, and <br />topsoil mining; <br />- The County's willingness to pay any cost difference between clearing with burning and without <br />burning; <br />- For County projects, bidding the project and writing the contract for the project expressly prohibiting <br />burning as a part of clearing; <br />- For school projects, the County could include a burning prohibition in the project ordinance; <br />- For school projects not involving project ordinances, the County policy could express a prohibition <br />against burning for any project using County funds; <br />- For outside agencies, the County could include a prohibition against burning in any contract with the <br />agency. If the outside agency burns in opposition to the County policy, the County could or would <br />cease to fund that agency. <br />