Lussi said he does support a ban on burning household garbage.

Suzanne Goolden, of Saranac Lake, said as a landowner, she's contending with many trees brought down in recent storms.

"Using chippers is not tenable in the Adirondacks."

Howard Aubin, of AuSable Forks, asked how DEC could add regulation without approval from the legislature.

"Where is the statutory authority for this?"

DEC Environmental Engineer Greg LaBarge said regulatory authority was granted when DEC was established.

He said the question would be answered fully in DEC response to public comments.

The burn ban has been brought to the state Legislature repeatedly since it was first recommended by the Department of Health in 1968.

The measure carries in the Assembly and gets thrown out of the Senate, LaBarge said, calling it a "political" issue.

Few comments supported the proposed burn ban as written.

Don Hassig, of Cancer Prevention New York, said they are "very supportive" of what DEC is doing to stop air pollution from burning chemicals.

But, he added, "brush-fire burning is a reasonable change" to the regulation.

In the question and answer session, LaBarge said one-third of comments gathered so far are against the burn ban; one-third support it; and one-third request an exception for burning brush.

DEC proposed the burn ban to reduce particulates and gases released from open outdoor fires.

They have extended their public-comment period by a month to August 14 at 5 p.m.