Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Senator: Affordable wood stove heat in peril

A pair of Idaho lawmakers are among those proposing legislation aimed to protect wood stove manufactures facing proposed regulations that tighten emission standards. Sens. Mike Crapo and Jim Risch introduced the Secret Science Reform Act, which would prohibit the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from proposing or finalizing regulations based on science that is not made publicly available and that is not reproducible. A similar measure has been introduced in the U.S. House. Crapo on Monday toured the Kuma Stoves manufacturing facility north of Coeur d'Alene and discussed the new regulations and their possible effect on consumers. "Many Idahoans and Northwest residents heat their homes with wood and wood stoves, but that affordable heating source may soon become complicated because of newly proposed federal regulations," a press release issued by Crapo's office states. "Wood stove manufacturers are under pressure yet again to lower federal emission standards, this time to a level that may not be attainable financially or technologically for consumers or the wood stove industry." Kuma Stoves President Mark Freeman said, before the hearth industry worked to develop new technologies, older stoves in the mid-1980s would emit an average of 60 grams per hour of particulates. In 1988, the EPA worked with the hearth industry to lower emissions to 7.5 grams per hour for all new stoves. The newly-proposed regulations would lower that again to 4.5 grams per hour by the end of next year, and possibly to 1.3 grams per hour by 2020...more

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