JEFFERSON TWP — The board of supervisors is currently looking into amending the township’s current burning ordinance.

At the request of the board of supervisors, the township’s planning commission is working on a series of draft modifications to the ordinance.

While no action was taken during the meeting held Monday night, Aug. 10, one of the primary areas of concern in the ordinance is a section which states, “The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection DOES NOT allow open burning in the Commonwealth.” This is followed by, “Contact DEP regarding the following ‘possible’ exceptions,” the first of which reads, “agricultural processing.”

“(Planning commission member) Brian Noah tried five different DEP agencies and representatives and has not heard back from them regarding that definition,” said township manager Leo Rosenbauer.

The township is using the burning ordinances from other municipalities, such as Middlesex and Butler townships, as references for crafting amendments to its own.

Jefferson Township’s burning ordinance was first enacted in 1995 and was most recently amended in 2020.