Outdoor burning banned in 50 counties
As the weather gets hotter, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources has placed a damper on outdoor burning.
The state department has issued an ban on open burning in more than 50 Georgia counties from May 1-Sept. 30.
During the ban period, residents cannot burn leaves, tree limbs or other yard waste.
The state Environmental Protection Division imposes a ban on outdoor burning to comply with Federal Clean Air Regulations.
According to the Department of Natural Resources, during the hot Georgia summers, the ozone often reaches unhealthy levels. The EPD has identified open burning as a significant contributor of the pollutants that form ozone.
In Metro Atlanta, outdoor burning is banned in Carroll, Clayton, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett, Heard, Henry, Rockdale and Spalding.
To get a list of all 54 counties, log on to: www.gfc.state.ga.us/ForestFire/GeorgiaBurnBan.cfm
About the Author
Ernie Suggs is an enterprise reporter covering race and culture for the AJC since 1997. A 1990 graduate of N.C. Central University and a 2009 Harvard University Nieman Fellow, he is also the former vice president of the National Association of Black Journalists. His obsession with Prince, Spike Lee movies, Hamilton and the New York Yankees is odd.
