Ecology Dept. Gives Up (for Now) on Wood Stove Legislation

For now, at least, the Washington Department of Ecology will not expend any more energy trying to prop up S.B. 5174.

Despite the bill's approval by the Senate Environment, Energy and Technology Committee, and its impending hearing in the Way and Means Committee, Ecology says it is "backing off" for the duration of the legislative season.

The department's quasi-admission of defeat was music to Republican ears. GOP Sen. Shelly Short is quoted as saying,

Get our free mobile app

This is great news for the people of Washington, especially areas like mine where so many people rely on woodstoves and pellet stoves to heat their homes. I am sure it is a relief as well for stove manufacturers in Washington and elsewhere.

 

The cost of compliance would have driven many [manufacturers] out of this market. Consumers would have had fewer choices and higher costs. And none of this would have made the air any cleaner, because it would have given people an incentive to keep using older, less efficient stoves than clean new ones.

The hard-nosed legislation sought to modify definitions in the Washington Clean Air Act (WCAA) relating to certain wood-burning devices. Furthermore it would've granted Ecology "authority to adopt or amend rules: 1) implementing federal emission standards for certain wood-burning devices; 2) establishing state emission standards and certification procedures for certain wood burning devices; and 3) setting state emission standards and other requirements for residential home heating devices burning solid fuels other than wood or pellet fuel."

Short's assessment was much more unsparing than the bill's language, which was gingerly worded and perhaps best described as academese. In January she vented her disapproval to GOP operative Tracy Ellis:

Essentially, the bill would allow Ecology to determine which wood stoves or pallet stoves would be sold in the state of Washington. This is a solution in search of a problem.

 

Right now, EPA is responsible for certifying all stoves, so Ecology is basically contending that EPA isn't doing its job. You can infer from that what you want. What I told Ecology in my meeting with them was, 'Look, my folks in my district use wood heat; they use wood stoves and pallet stoves.'

The 7th District Republican was among the bill's most strident opponents. Ecology notified her of its decision on Thursday night.

Click here for Ecology's take from earlier in the month.