HPBA Urges Thoughtful Review of Proposed NSPS Standards
(PRWEB) March 20, 2014 -- The Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association (HPBA) reinforced its position regarding the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for Residential Wood Heaters. Recent media reports have suggested erroneously that the proposed regulations would ban woodstoves and wood-burning altogether. Though HPBA supports revisions to the NSPS, the association reaffirmed that the proposed regulations, even as written, would not outlaw these appliances.
“Both the industry and EPA share the common goal of making further progress in reducing particulate loadings. It is good for our health and our businesses. But the proposal simply does not make reasonable data-driven conclusions on how best to tackle the issue,” said Jack Goldman, President & CEO of HPBA.
Ironically, these proposed standards will have the perverse effect of slowing clean air progress. If the standards are promulgated as written, the increase in cost for new woodstoves will be significant, compelling consumers to keep their old stoves in use. Today, over 6 million free standing stoves in operation are pre-1992, high polluting stoves. The best thing that can happen for cleaner air is for every one of these stoves to get replaced as quickly as possible.
According to Goldman, “In addition to downplaying the effects on the consumer, EPA has failed to provide any data showing that any of our manufacturer members can meet the new regulations as proposed. The testing procedure to measure emissions is imprecise and does not reflect real world performance. Competing in this numbers game will cause smaller companies to go out of business. Innovation will suffer and consumers will bear the burden of the costs with no guarantee of cleaner air.”
HPBA acknowledged the proposal will not outlaw or ban old or new wood burning appliances. But, the association urged EPA to establish reasonable regulations that will ensure that consumers who rely on wood heat can use their appliances for years to come.
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About Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association (HPBA) The Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association (HPBA), based in Arlington, VA, is the North American industry association for manufacturers, retailers, distributors, representatives, service firms in the hearth industry. The association provides professional member services and support in education, statistics, government relations, marketing, advertising, and consumer education. There are more than 2500 members in the HPBA.
Sue Crosby, Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association, http://www.hpba.org, +1 (703) 522-0086 Ext: 116, [email protected]
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