For the past 11 years, Brandon Township resident Gary Morris has kept his 2,000 square foot home warm by burning wood.
‘The emerald ash borer killed a lot of trees, storms knocked down trees’there’s plenty of wood available,? said Morris, who about four years ago built a free-standing wood furnace that uses hot water, replacing a more traditional indoor stove. ‘While my heating bills are zero, burning wood is also very labor intensive’I go through about 20 face cord a season and honestly, my back hurts now. But when my neighbors were paying $600 per month for propane last winter for heating I stayed warm for free.?
Morris is just one of thousands in Michigan and nationwide that heat with wood. And while the available renewable heating fuel resource is a viable option for many residents in wooded states, the Environmental Protection Agency is now smelling a problem.
On Jan. 3, 2014, the EPA proposed revisions to the Residential Wood Heater New Source Performance Standards of the Clean Air Act. The draft revisions apply to new heaters only and do not apply to existing wood stoves and other wood heaters installed in homes. According to the EPA, residential wood heaters, which include wood stoves, contribute significantly to particulate air pollution. EPA has regulated wood heater particulate emissions since 1988. The certification process requires manufacturers to verify that each of their wood heater model lines meet a specific particulate emission limit by undergoing emission testing at an EPA accredited laboratory. The EPA also is imposing its first-ever emission mandates on wood-fired furnaces and outdoor boilers, which use fire to heat water that is circulated through pipes to warm homes. The EPA’s new rules are to be phased in over five years.
Residents who burn wood like Morris will be able to continue unimpeded, however, new stoves and furnaces will be required to produce cleaner smoke.
Tom Sanford, owner of Sanford’s Fireplace Service in Atlas, has installed and maintained wood burning equipment for more than 30 years in Genesee, Livingston, Lapeer and Oakland counties.
‘It’s ridiculous for the EPA to go and do this again,? said Sanford. ‘In 1988 the EPA eliminated a lot of dealers and made wood stoves much more expensive. The EPA changes pushed the costs on to consumers.?
‘Wood is a renewable resource? we have fuel in our backyards and it’s relatively available,? he said. ‘But a lot of people just stopped burning wood because it can be dirty and costly. Bugs, dust and always hauling wood in the house have been negative reasons not to burn wood. I really don’t know how the EPA expects the wood stoves to burn any cleaner? we already have a catalytic combustor and secondary combustion chamber in the stoves. It really does not matter how efficient the wood stove is regarding smoke’if it’s not installed correctly, then it will not burn right.?
‘There are wood stoves out there from the 1940s still running all winter long,? he added. ‘The new rules will likely make it more expensive to burn wood and people will just turn up the gas heat in the house or seek other forms of energy. I guess it’s just more money for the gas companies.?
As the EPA moves forward with regulations to curb pollution from new residential wood heaters’some of the states like Michigan are refusing to go along, claiming that the EPA’s new rules could negatively impact low-income residents. So last year State Senate Tom Casperson, representing the Upper Peninsula 38th district, spearheaded a state law halting enforcement of the EPA regulations by agencies in Michigan when it takes effect March 31.
Senate Bill 910 was co-sponsored by Senator Dave Robertson who represents Atlas, Brandon and Groveland townships. The bill was also supported by House Representatives Joe Graves (R-Linden) and Brad Jacobsen (R-Oxford). Governor Rick Snyder signed the bill in December which prohibits the MDEQ from promulgating rules limiting emissions from wood heaters, and prohibits the department from enforcing against a manufacturer, distributor, or consumer, any federal regulation adopted after May 1, 2014 limiting emissions from a wood heater.
‘I was proud to support this legislation during the previous legislative term,? said Graves. ‘The regulations being issued by the EPA are another example of un-elected Washington D.C. bureaucrats trying to force overbearing regulations down the throats of hard-working Michigan residents. Many of our residents use wood-burning stoves as a heating source during Michigan winters and it is vital we protect their rights and fight these overbearing and burdensome regulations. This bill will make sure that our local residents and small businesses that install wood-burning stoves will be able to continue using this as a heating option for winters to come.?
Gary Morris said he’ll eventually stop burning wood due to the amount of work necessary to keep it going.
‘My back is killing me,? he said. ‘It’s a good thing the EPA cleaning up the air and by burning off more gases the heat will be more efficient, but I doubt further regulation of wood stoves will make a great impact. There are many other forms of smoke that cause pollution’burning leaves, campfires or bonfires are other sources.?