Residents report wood smoke, idling trucks and gaps in enforcement; DEP explains limits on residential regulation

Multiple residents used the public-comment period to describe persistent wood-smoke and nearby open burning that they say has caused health problems, hospital visits and long-standing frustration with the response from local agencies.

One attendee, who identified himself as Randy Dy, described repeated respiratory illness in the household and said repeated calls to fire and health agencies had not resolved the problem. "Nos hemos cansado," the commenter said, urging DEP to take action. DEP staff replied that the agency typically cannot enter private residential property to enforce open-burning rules and that forestry/fire authorities issue 30-day burn permits; staff recommended following local code enforcement and the 24-hour hotline for ongoing nuisance incidents.

Residents also raised idling and truck-routing concerns near the port and asked how DEP is coordinating with transportation and port authorities. DEP officials described anti-idling rules, inspection programs and grant-funded efforts to electrify port equipment and indicated they are working with the Port Authority and municipal agencies on targeted solutions.

The DEP panel urged callers to document incidents, submit complaints using the hotline and to provide any community-collected monitoring data for staff review; officials emphasized collaborative approaches and follow-up channels rather than immediate unilateral enforcement on private property.

Why this matters: Complaints about wood smoke and idling are recurring neighborhood issues that directly affect people with asthma and other respiratory conditions; the meeting highlighted the boundary between state-level environmental enforcement powers and local or fire-department authorities.

Next steps: DEP offered follow-up with county and fire-service partners and reiterated the hotline and Office of Environmental Justice email for non-emergency follow-up.