May 2015
Green Heat News
Issue No. 69

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Price of Oil

April 20, 2015: $56.37

April 20, 2014: $104.33

  

Source:www.ycharts.com  

In Case You Missed it

Top stories in past issues:  

AGH People

Congrats to Dave Atkins who just joined the Missoula County Air Quality Advisory Board, Dave is on the Board of AGH and recently retired from the US Forest Service where he worked on biomass. Dave was also instrumental in getting the Forest Service engaged in wood stove change out programs.   

Office Equipment Needed

Have a printer, scanner or computer that is still relatively up to date and in good working order that you don't need? Donate it to the Alliance for Green Heat and get a tax credit. Contact: info@forgreenheat.org 

Focus on NSPS         

   

Air quality groups join lawsuit over EPA stove and boiler rules 

AGH - On April 15, three air quality groups filed a motion to join the lawsuit that a hearth industry group is bringing against the EPA over their new wood stove and boiler regulations. The groups said that their interest lies in "defending the Final Rule against challenges brought by industry groups seeking to further weaken or delay it."  

 

AGH Presentation on Consumers and the NSPS   

AGH - At the Heating the Northeast Expo in Portland, the Alliance for Green Heat participated in a panel on exploring the impact of the NSPS.

 

Minnesota holds off taking on EPA over stove rules

Minnesota lawmakers are waiting to take on the Environmental Protection Agency over new standards for wood-burning stoves and furnaces.Only Vermont pumps out more fine particulate emissions per person from wood stoves and heaters than Minnesota.  

 

The North Carolina Senate voted to abstain from enforcing a federal effort to more tightly regulate wood stoves, that will make them cleaner and more efficient for consumers.    
  

AGH Projects and Activities       

 

Solar generation may sideline biomass heating   

AGH - Most of us have looked at the explosive growth of solar photovoltaic systems as just a parallel and complementary renewable energy technology. Solar panels make kilowatts while wood and pellet stoves make Btus, right? Wrong.   

 

Washington Watch  

  

The USDA is taking on agriculture's huge contribution to climate change

The USDA plans to announce a set of voluntary initiatives aimed at helping farmers, ranchers, and forest land owners respond to climate change by increasing carbon storage, reducing carbon emissions, and supporting resilience in the face of extreme weather. 

National Firewood Association goes to bat in DC

NFA Director Scott Salveson was honored to speak on behalf of the Firewood Industry during a listening session hosted by the administration of APHIS/PPQ, the arm of the USDA responsible for the federal firewood quarantines in place due to invasive species.

Focus on Automated Boilers and Furnaces           

   

High-efficiency wood heating systems winning converts  

With the touch of a finger on an iPod-style screen, Eric Besenfelder can monitor and troubleshoot the shiny, wood-pellet furnace that heats Athens Elementary School in Hudson Valley.   

 

Navigating the sea of approval 

Attempting to expand the North American wood heat sector, US distributors seek proven European technology to further foster market development.     

 

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From the Newsroom     
 

International  

  
Montreal, Canada: The committee responsible for drawing up the controversial city bylaw concerning wood-burning stoves and fireplaces has asked council to speed up its implementation by three years.  
   

States 

 
Bay Area pollution agency wants to ban open fireplaces
CA: Air pollution regulators want to require all Bay Area property owners - upon selling or transferring their buildings or homes - to install federally certified fireplace inserts or wood burning stoves that filter particles both indoors and out, from the chimney. 
CA: Editorial: Officials of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District will hold a public hearing on the perennial odor problem afflicting northern Milpitas neighborhood.The air district just might get more than it expects during the meeting.    
 
CA: The group that brought you Spare the Air days is looking to legislate your firewood in an effort to keep the air clean as next winter approaches.

ID: Ada and Canyon counties' proactive efforts to reduce pollution over the last decade kept the Treasure Valley within federal air quality standards going into 2013.  

MN: Biobased industry, agriculture, and environmental interests recently reached agreement on legislation that would create production-based incentives for renewable chemicals, advanced biofuels and biomass thermal energy. 
 

MN: A local retailer says new wood stoves are safer, as they don't add so much creosote to your chimney (and we don't have to cut down so many trees).

 

Missoula way ahead of EPA on stove management 

MT: While other places have hard work ahead to meet new federal wood smoke rules, Missoula has been ahead of the game for years.   

   

New EPA wood stove rules concern makers, users 

NC: A PR person for Buck Stoves, made in NC, says "our stance is not a negative one with the EPA.  We all breathe the same air."      

 

EPA rules for wood stoves get updated 

OH: John Clarke, who heats his wood with 14 - 16 cords in an outdoor boiler says "I think its clean enough."  A director with the Ohio Environmental Council said the new law is a "no brainer."

 

OR: Rep. Mark Johnson sponsored a bill that could produce legislation in 2016 to help the state cut down on a key source of air pollution while looking to help low-income families commit to cleaner energy. 

Wood stove replacement program gets $1.5 M 

OR: The Oregon Legislature approved $1.5 million for the wood stove replacement program in Klamath and Lake counties. The funds are to be split evenly between the counties.      

 

Turn on the gas fireplace, lower the thermostat 

OR: Thanks to design changes in recent years, many gas fireplaces are energy-efficient enough to qualify for state tax credits and Energy Trust of Oregon incentives.   

 

New wood stoves rules raising eyebrows 

SD: South Dakota has no plans to buck the new regulations and a state official says there is no reason to worry about existing laws.   

 

TN: The Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut wants to turn one of Tennessee's biggest renewable energy failures into a business success with another type of renewable product in growing demand around the globe.  
 
UT: Utah regulators will not be allowed to ban wood burning for an entire season under a new state law. Gov. Gary Herbert's office announced Tuesday afternoon that he signed the measure into law. 

Utah considers limits on stoves 

UT: As the federal government moves forward with new rules for wood burning stoves, Utah state officials are grappling with how to locally regulate stoves that contribute to polluted winter air. 

 

VT: Vermont is offering a voluntary OWB change out program that provides financial incentives to encourage people to replace their old OWB with cleaner, more efficient heating systems. 
 
VT: HNI said Vermont Castings represented 6% of the company's assets, and accounted for 1% of its revenues.   

Vermont Casting closes VT plant; stove to built in PA  

VT: For years, Vermont Casting has been passed from owner to owner and the results have not been good. What was once the world's largest manufacturer of cast iron stoves has lost ground. 

   

WI: Republican lawmakers in Wisconsin are pushing a bill that would prohibit the Department of Natural Resources from enforcing new national regulations limiting pollution from wood fired heaters. 

 

Upcoming Conferences and Webinars

Voorheesville, NY, May 7, 2015
Providing the firewood processing industry the latest knowledge on processing, kiln drying, and marketing of firewood.

May 19, 2015, 4 pm EST
Hear from several speakers on the program's latest developments, especially following EPA's release of the new NSPS.

Washington DC, May 27-29, 2015
This summit is a national meeting where leading organizations across key sector showcase solutions to cut energy use in buildings.

Cologne, Germany, June 9, 2015
This workshop will bring together industry stakeholders from across Europe in order to discuss the pellet market overview development.

Washington, DC, June 15-16, 2015
The EIA Energy Conference has become a premier forum for addressing energy issues in the United States and worldwide.

Williamsburg, VA, July 19-21, 2015
The annual gathering of the Pellet Fuel Institute.

October 21, 2015
National Bioenergy Day is a nationwide day of advocacy for all kinds of heat and power generated by wood biomass and agricultural waste.

Advertisement of the Month   

       

How is this for creative advertising? Harman lists efficiency as "78% EPA" and then puts the "EPA Certified" logo right next to the efficiency line, as if their stove had been certified at 78%. In fact, 78% is just an estimated default number for pellet stoves. Harman, now owned by Hearth & Home Technologies, still won't release their real efficiency numbers to their potential and existing customers. 

     

 

 
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A special thanks to those who have contributed $2,000 or more since Jan. 1, 2013

-- William Ackerly
-- Arbolito Foundation 
-- Chimney Safety Institute of America 
-- England Stove Works
-- Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves
-- New York State Energy & Research Development Authority
-- Osprey Foundation
-- Jim & Patty Rouse Foundation 
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-- DC Dept. of Transportation, Urban Forestry Administration
-- U.S. Forest Service
-- West Penn Power Energy & Sustainability Fund

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