WASHINGTON, Sept. 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association (HPBA) stands with the wood stove industry, maintaining that Step 2 of the New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) does not give manufacturers enough time to design and test products that meet the required standards by the May 15, 2020 enforcement deadline.
Regulation Background
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) updated its 1988 regulations for new residential wood and pellet stoves, hydronic heaters, and woodburning forced air furnaces. The agency's regulation, NSPS, is a two-step ruling stating that manufacturers of wood stove heaters must comply with new particulate matter emission standards by May 2015 and the second set of standards, Step 2, by May 2020.
Many manufacturers were able to comply with Step 1 of the rule, but Step 2, which has a hard cut-off date without a retail sell-through after May 2020, does not provide manufacturers the time necessary to design, test, and manufacture products that meet the requirements.
What's At Stake
With fewer affordable home heating options available, price-sensitive consumers will not be able to replace their existing appliance with a newer EPA-certified model. Consumers in rural areas across America, who rely heavily on wood stoves for heating, will be the most affected. Households looking to cut heating costs will be unable to afford what was once an affordable and sustainable home heating option.
Action Needed
The House has passed legislation that will delay the Step 2 (2020) standard's deadline by three years, until May 15, 2023 and now, the Senate has the opportunity to pass S. 1857, a bill which will give manufacturers the time the industry needs to meet these standards.
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SOURCE Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association