FACT SHEET

Proposed Amendments
Standards of Performance for New Residential Wood Heaters and New
Residential Hydronic Heaters and Forced-Air Furnaces

ACTION

•	On May 15, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed
amendments to the 2015 New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for New
Residential Wood Heaters and New Residential Hydronic Heaters and Forced-Air
Furnaces.

•	Due to the nationwide spread of the COVID-19 virus, EPA is proposing to allow more
time for retailers to continue selling Step 1-certified residential wood heating devices. If
finalized, EPA's proposed action would authorize the commercial sale of Step 1-certified
devices until November 30, 2020.

o This action, if finalized as proposed, will allow retailers additional time, after the
May 15, 2020 effective date of the "Step 2" standards, to continue to sell "Step
1" compliant wood heaters, hydronic heaters and forced-air furnaces remaining
in inventory.

•	On March 11, 2020, EPA finalized rule amendments to the 2015 NSPS. Shortly after the
March amendments , the U.S. experienced an unprecedented economic crisis due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. This pandemic has resulted in significant losses in retail sales due
to temporary closure of stores, stay at home directives, and other restrictions
implemented across the country and the world.

o As a result, vendors and retail stores have lost time they needed to sell their
remaining inventory of Step 1 units before the May 15, 2020, compliance date.

o Retailers would have been working diligently toward selling those remaining Step
1 devices by offering discounts, sales events and other incentives to move that
remaining inventory before the May 15, 2020, deadline. This has resulted in
circumstances that could result in significant job losses, permanent closures and
other economic impacts that were not anticipated when EPA was developing the
previous NSPS rulemakings.

•	This proposed rule, if finalized, will ensure that retailers and manufacturers regain some
time with normal business operations lost due to the COVID-19 emergency. In addition,
during the period between May 15, 2020, and publication of EPA's final action on this
proposal, EPA will treat the sale of Step 1 devices as a low enforcement priority.

•	EPA will accept comment on the proposed amendments for 45 days after publication in
the Federal Register.

•	If requested, a virtual public hearing will be held fifteen days after the proposal is
published. Additional information including speaker registration will be available at
https://www.epa.gov/residential-wood-heaters.

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BACKGROUND

•	Wood-burning heaters (also known as wood heating devices) include wood stoves,
pellet stoves, hydronic heaters and forced-air furnaces that burn wood for heat,
including cord wood and wood pellets.

•	Wood smoke is made up of a mixture of gases and fine particles that are produced when
wood and other organic matter burns. The particles in smoke - also called particulate
matter (PM) - can harm the lungs, blood vessels and heart. People with heart, vascular
or lung disease, older adults and children are the most at risk.

•	Smoke from wood heating devices can increase PM to levels that pose serious health
concerns. In some areas, residential wood smoke is a primary contributor to the area's
nonattainment for the 24-hour PM2.5 National Ambient Air Quality Standard.

•	The Clean Air Act requires EPA to set NSPS for categories of stationary sources of
pollution that cause, or significantly contribute to, air pollution that may endanger
public health or welfare. The law requires EPA to review these standards every 8 years.

•	EPA issued the first NSPS for residential wood heaters in 1988. The rule applied to
adjustable burn-rate wood stoves, including a type of adjustable burn-rate wood stove
known as a fireplace insert, and some pellet stoves. Since that time, technology for
reducing emissions from wood heating devices has significantly improved and is
available to make new units less polluting.

•	The agency amended the standards in 2015. The 2015 standards include a phase-in of
requirements to build cleaner wood heating devices that meet more stringent
standards. The 2015 final NSPS requirements updated PM emission limits for newly
manufactured adjustable burn-rate wood stoves and set the first federal air standards
for several other types of wood heating devices, including: all pellet stoves; indoor and
outdoor wood-burning hydronic heaters; wood-burning forced-air furnaces; and a type
of previously unregulated wood stove known as a "single burn-rate" stove.

•	The 2015 NSPS also included updated test methods, an updated certification process
and a requirement that operators of wood heating devices burn only the fuel specified
in the owner's manual, including pellet fuel, that meet certain minimum requirements.

HOW TO COMMENT

•	EPA will accept comments for 45 days after the proposal is published in the Federal
Register.

•	Comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2018-0195 may be submitted by
one of the following methods:

o Go to https://www.regulations.gov/ and follow the on-line instructions for

submitting comments,
o Send comments by email to a-and-r-docket@epa.gov. Attention Docket ID No.
EPA-HQ-OAR-2018-0195.

•	Out of an abundance of caution for members of the public and our staff, the EPA Docket
Center and Reading Room is closed to public visitors to reduce the risk of transmitting
COVID-19. Our Docket Center staff will continue to provide remote customer service via

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email, phone and webform. We encourage the public to submit comments via
https://www.regulations.gov/ or email, as there is a temporary suspension of mail
delivery to the EPA, and no hand deliveries are currently accepted. For further
information on EPA Docket Center services and the current status, please visit us online
at https://www.epa.gov/dockets.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

•	EPA's Burn Wise program provides a wealth of information to help consumers ensure
wood heating devices burn as cleanly and efficiently as possible. For more information,
visit: https://www.epa.gov/burnwise.

•	Today's proposed rule and additional background information is available at
https://www.epa.gov/residential-wood-heaters.

•	For further technical information about the rule, contact Nathan Topham, EPA's Office
of Air Quality Planning and Standards, at (919) 541-0483 or topham.nathan@epa.gov.

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