OFFICIALS LOG VICTORY WITH FIREPLACE BAN.Byline: Jim Skeen Staff Writer ROSAMOND - New tract homes in Rosamond and elsewhere in eastern Kern Kern, river, 155 mi (249 km) long, rising in the S Sierra Nevada Mts., E Calif., and flowing south, then southwest to a reservoir in the extreme southern part of the San Joaquin valley. The river has Isabella Dam as its chief facility. County will no longer be built with open-hearth, wood-burning fireplaces - a move aimed at keeping east county air clean. Kern County Air Pollution Control District officials said the ban will help reduce microscopic airborne particles that can be inhaled in·hale v. in·haled, in·hal·ing, in·hales v.tr. 1. To draw (air or smoke, for example) into the lungs by breathing; inspire. 2. and cause respiratory problems. Estimated on the number of proposed housing developments on the books, the rule will eliminate eight to nine tons of particulates over 10 years, district officials said. ``It's not only unhealthy, it obscures vision and impacts our mission at Edwards (Air Force Base) and China Lake (Naval Warfare naval warfare Military operations conducted on, under, or over the sea and waged against other seagoing vessels or targets on land or in the air. The earliest naval attacks were raids by the armed men of a tribe or town using fishing boats or merchant ships. Center),'' said Don Maben, a Kern County supervisor who sits on the air district board. The rule is coming at a time when there are more than 3,000 homes planned for Rosamond and Tehachapi, not counting the 933-home Copa de Oro project proposed for Rosamond that is working its way through the permit process. ``It's critical we get it (the rule) in now,'' Maben said. The district is banning fireplaces in new housing tracts with 10 or more homes. Only U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-certified wood- burning heaters and certified See certification. fireplace inserts are allowed. ``The main purpose of the rule is to prevent the deterioration of air quality in new home developments,'' said Tom Paxson, the district's air pollution control officer. The neighboring neigh·bor n. 1. One who lives near or next to another. 2. A person, place, or thing adjacent to or located near another. 3. A fellow human. 4. Used as a form of familiar address. v. San Joaquin Valley Noun 1. San Joaquin Valley - a vast valley in central California known for its rich farmland Calif., California, Golden State, CA - a state in the western United States on the Pacific; the 3rd largest state; known for earthquakes Air Pollution Control District, which covers Bakersfield and western Kern County, also has limitations on fireplaces in new home construction, but its rule is based on housing density. The rule bans fireplaces in tracts with three or more homes per acre. The San Joaquin San Joaquin (săn wäkēn`), river, c.320 mi (510 km) long, rising in the Sierra Nevada, E Calif., and flowing W then N through the S Central Valley to form a large delta with the Sacramento River near Suisun Bay, an arm of San Francisco Bay. district also forbids residents in homes with existing fireplaces from using them during bad air quality days. Jim Skeen, (661) 267-5743 james.skeen(at)dailynews.com |
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