Committee considers rules to tighten certification and sales of wood‑burning devices amid air‑quality concerns

Senate Bill 5174, Department of Ecology request legislation, would give Ecology authority to adopt and enforce statewide emission standards for newly manufactured residential wood heaters, hydronic heaters and forced‑air wood furnaces and to verify manufacturers’ EPA test reports. Ecology also may adopt sell‑through rules for retailers and would be authorized to restrict the sale of devices within Washington if submitted test reports contain major deficiencies and manufacturers fail to address them. The bill would prohibit burning coal in a wood‑burning device and would not require removal or replacement of existing, lawfully installed stoves.

Kathy Taylor of Ecology said the bill responds to an EPA Office of Inspector General finding that federal oversight of the stove certification program has gaps — for example, deficient test reports and weak oversight — that allow noncompliant devices to be sold. Ecology said a Washington verification role would protect buyers and ensure state grant funds for stove changeout programs are used to buy genuinely low‑emission appliances. Ecology estimated operating costs of roughly $800,000 over the four‑year outlook to implement the program.

Public‑health witnesses emphasized risks from PM2.5. Annie Doubleday, air‑quality epidemiologist with the Department of Health, said wood‑stove emissions are the largest source of fine particulate pollution in cold months in parts of Washington and that PM2.5 exposure increases emergency visits, hospitalizations and deaths. Mark Vossler, president of Physicians for Social Responsibility (Washington chapter), said any reduction in particulate matter improves human health.

Industry and retailer groups opposed the bill as written. Carolyn Logue of the Northwest Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association said moving to a cordwood test standard or state verification would increase costs, slow product availability and could make newer clean stoves unaffordable for some buyers; she said the association supports education, burn‑wise programs and change‑out incentives instead. Manufacturers and retailers said Alaska’s Fairbanks list (created for a local nonattainment area) reduced consumer choice there and forced residents to travel to buy stoves; several manufacturers testified that additional state review has required costly retesting and that a 12‑month sell‑through could leave retailers with unsellable inventory.

Committee members asked about the sell‑through provision (the bill allows Ecology to adopt a sell‑through period of up to 12 months); Ecology indicated it intends to use a sell‑through provision to reduce hardship for retailers, but committee members pressed to clarify whether the rulemaking should require a sell‑through rather than leave it optional. Members also asked how Ecology would staff technical reviews; Ecology said the agency would review manufacturers’ existing EPA‑submitted test reports rather than create a new test protocol and would rely on technical expertise in-house or by contract.

A mix of small‑business retailers, manufacturers and chimney professionals said the bill risks reducing supply and increasing stove prices and urged incentives, education and change‑out funding rather than additional sales restrictions. Several residents and public‑health advocates urged the committee to act to ensure new stoves on the market meet the federal standards they claim to meet, to protect children, the elderly and people with lung and heart disease. The committee did not vote at the hearing; staff and stakeholders discussed technical amendments and how sell‑through and funding sources should be handled.