Assemblyman Ken Blankenbush (R,C-Black River) today said that while he is pleased with the Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) decision to extend the deadline for dealers to sell non-certified outdoor wood boilers, he believes the regulations still need revisiting by new DEC Commissioner Joe Martens.

“While I commend the DEC for relenting somewhat on the deadline regarding the sale of non-certified boilers, I remain dissatisfied with the new regulations and the secretive process by which they were passed last winter,” Blankenbush said. “I am calling on Commissioner Martens to revisit these regulations and consider making amendments to better accommodate Upstate residents.”

The original rule that was passed by the DEC Environmental Board on December 22, 2010, just days before Christmas, required dealers to begin selling certified boilers by April 15, 2011. The emergency rule issued last Friday by the DEC delays that regulation through July 14.

Last December, Blankenbush came out strongly in opposition to the DEC’s proposed regulations on outdoor wood boilers, citing additional financial hardships the new regulations will place on North Country families who already are struggling to make ends meet. The assemblyman, compelled by the urgency of the situation, traveled to Albany to attend the DEC’s Environmental Review Board meeting in an effort to stop the regulation’s passage. He spoke with the interim commissioner explaining that the board’s disregard of a 30-day public comment period was troubling.

Despite strong opposition to new regulations, the board passed the measure creating strict setback and stack height requirements in addition to boiler model specifications. Under the new regulations, both the distributor and the buyer must provide paperwork and certification that the boiler meets new DEC requirements.

“Not only do these regulations inflict a considerable financial burden on constituents in my district, but the paperwork that is required to simply purchase and install a certified boiler adds one more layer of hardship to the situation. These regulations are bureaucracy at its worst, and I will continue to fight their implementation. Furthermore, I maintain my position that such policies should be legislated under the home rule of local governments,” added the assemblyman.