$ 8.8 bn allocated for assessing emissions of wood stoves, heating devices in US

$ 8.8 bn allocated for assessing emissions of wood stoves, heating devices in US
18 / 11 / 2023
By Marwa Nassar - -

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a direct award of $8.8 million provided by President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act—the largest climate investment in history that will support independent testing and data analysis of emissions from new models of wood stoves and wood heating devices.

Data collected will help create a ranked listing of appliance performance for certified wood heater models available at retail stores in the United States. This ranking will help consumers and air agencies make decisions about changing out old dirty wood stoves for cleaner models or switching to other heating options.

“Studies estimate that residential wood smoke emissions account for 10,000 – 40,000 premature deaths annually in the United States,” said Joseph Goffman, Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation. “Through this investment under President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, we will help improve our understanding of residential wood smoke so we can better address emissions that primarily impact disadvantaged communities in rural areas.”

Residential wood heating (RWH) emissions contribute to increased ambient particulate matter (PM) concentrations. In some areas, they cause substantial fine particle (PM2.5) concentrations, including rural, underserved communities where air quality may not meet air quality standards for PM2.5.

Information gained from this grant will inform state, local, Tribal, and regional decision-making on wood heater change out programs. The data will also help EPA determine Clean Air Act emissions limits in a new wood heater standard, which could lower wood heater emissions and improve air quality for areas across the country.

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