[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 123 (Wednesday, September 28, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1975]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         INTRODUCTION OF THE WOOD STOVE REPLACEMENT ACT OF 2005

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                            HON. TIM MURPHY

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 28, 2005

  Mr. MURPHY. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to introduce the Wood Stove 
Replacement Act of 2005. I am joined in the introduction by 
Representative Melissa Hart.
  Quite simply, our bill would provide a tax credit of $500 for 
individuals and families who replace their old, dirty, uncertified wood 
stoves with new, EPA-compliant, clean-burning wood stoves or fireplace 
inserts.
  As America's cities and counties struggle to come into compliance 
with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards set by the U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency, smaller and more diverse sources of 
pollution are regulated. The primary air pollution problem in many 
areas of the country, including Pittsburgh, is particulate matter. 
Particulate matter, or soot, is caused by burning fuels such as coal, 
as well as wood.
  On December 17, 2004, the EPA designated nearly two hundred and fifty 
counties in the U.S. as out of compliance with federal air quality 
standards for ``fine particulates'' (particles under 2.5 microns in 
diameter). EPA has concluded that wood smoke from residential wood 
combustion appliances, fireplaces and wood stoves, is a significant 
contributor to fine particulate pollution in many of the designated 
counties.
  In 1986, EPA established a New Source Performance Standard, or NSPS, 
that imposed strict limits on the wood smoke that can be emitted from 
wood burning stoves, and it implemented a program for certifying the 
performance of wood stoves that comply with the standard. EPA-certified 
wood stoves reduce wood smoke emissions by as much as 90 percent. 
According to the EPA, ``certified wood stoves burn more cleanly and 
efficiently, save [. . . .] money, reduce the risk of fire, and improve 
air quality inside and outside [the] home.''
  It is estimated that there are as many as 10 million old, 
uncertified, pre-NSPS wood stoves still in use in American homes. 
Fourteen thousand of them are in my area in Pittsburgh. Many of the 
uncertified wood stoves still in use today were purchased at the height 
of the fossil-fuel crisis in the 1970s. Many were installed in lower 
income, rural residences with ample access to free or low-cost wood 
fuel. The installed cost of new, certified stoves can be as high as 
$2,000 to $3,000, which is out of reach for many users of the old, 
uncertified units. To encourage users of old, dirty-burning units to 
trade up to new certified stoves, strong incentives must be provided. 
Local regulations prohibiting the use of uncertified woodstoves are 
politically unpalatable unless financial assistance is provided to 
enable homeowners to abide by such prohibitions and keep their families 
warm in the winter with low-cost, renewable wood fuel.

  According to the EPA, ``Helping areas of the country reduce pollution 
and meet national air quality standards for fine particles is our top 
priority . . . By combining local programs like clean wood stove 
installation with tough new federal regulations on power plants, cars, 
trucks and diesel equipment, we can dramatically reduce fine particle 
pollution and improve public health across the country.''
  Our legislation to provide a federal tax credit for the replacement 
of uncertified wood stoves is an important way to reach consumers who 
otherwise may never replace their old stoves. This credit would only be 
available to consumers who live in areas designated as out of 
compliance with the fine particle and total particulate standards. A 
$500 tax credit would give consumers living in poor air quality areas 
an immediate incentive and necessary financial assistance to remove 
their old stove now. By using the cleaner stoves, consumers will save 
on fuel costs by burning one-third less wood and reduce fine particle 
pollution in their area thereby improving their health and the health 
of their families and neighbors.
  The need to encourage consumers to burn cleaner, more efficient 
woodstoves is an urgent matter. The record-high costs predicted for 
home heating this winter will likely push many consumers to choose more 
affordable wood heating. With nearly 10 million old, conventional, 
dirty wood stoves still in use today, it is imperative that consumers 
have an incentive to change out their old appliances for clean, more 
efficient, and EPA-certified wood stoves.
  Representative Hart and I are introducing this bill to coincide with 
an EPA event in Pittsburgh on September 29. That will be National Wood 
Stove Change-Out Day, where EPA encourages owners of old stoves to 
trade them in for new, certified units. The incentives in this bill 
should help accomplish this goal.

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