Senator: Affordable wood stove heat in peril

RATHDRUM - 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.

"We are making stoves that are efficient and affordable, but these new regulations may change that," Freeman said. "The ironic part is that these changes will raise prices and cause consumers to not upgrade their old units, meaning the air will get dirtier instead of cleaner.

"We just want some fairness in this process and for the EPA to hear the industry's concerns, especially that of small businesses like ours, regarding both the benefits and costs of the new emission targets."

Crapo is a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, which has jurisdiction over the EPA.

"(Monday's meeting was) a call to action for consumers and industry alike to let the EPA know that public health and jobs are at issue with how far we go with these new regulations," Crapo said. "Worse yet, the EPA has unfortunately fallen into a pattern that uses non-public data and undisclosed models with the science the agency uses to craft regulations.

"We need the light of day on this issue and others and we are asking Idahoans to weigh in."

An EPA spokesman couldn't be reached for comment Monday.