Waitsfield farmer to pay $5,000 penalty

Vermont’s state government has formally settled an illegal open-burning violation with Waitsfield farmer Douglas H. Turner. Turner operates an organic dairy farm, Simplicity Farm. The settlement includes paying a $5,000 penalty.

In May 2014, the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources received an anonymous complaint that illegal burning was occurring at a Waitsfield property.

Environmental Enforcement Officer Daniel Mason followed the strong odor of burning plastic to a cow pasture, where he saw a large, smoldering pile of material. In the burn pile was agricultural plastic and other debris, including a mattress, rugs and painted wood.

Burning agricultural plastic can release toxic and potentially cancer-causing chemicals – such as dioxins and furans – into the air, where they can be inhaled by humans and animals and deposited in soil and surface water.

Mason found Turner near the burn site, who admitted he’d lit the fire earlier that day, and had burned agricultural plastic there during the previous two years.

Equipment from several area fire departments was needed to extinguish the fire.

Turner reached a settlement with the state, in which he admitted the open-burning violation, and agreed to pay a $5,000 penalty and follow procedures for properly managing the farm’s agricultural plastic. He also removed and properly disposed of all remaining material from the extinguished burn pile.