On January 3, 2014, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued proposed revisions to the New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for residential wood heaters. The NSPS fall under the federal Clean Air Act. According to the EPA’s website, “the standards govern the manufacture and sale of new residential wood heating devices and do not apply to existing wood stoves and other wood heaters installed in peoples' homes.”
The new standards reduce the maximum amount of fine particulate emissions allowed for new stoves sold beginning in 2015. Maximum emissions would be reduced by one-third in 2015 and by 80% in 2019. Fine particulate pollution has been linked to heart attacks, decreased lung function, and premature death in people with heart or lung disease, according to Fox News.
The EPA will take public comments on the proposed standards over a 90-day period.
