OLYMPIA, Wash. — A Senate bill that would regulate wood-burning stoves in Washington will not be moving forward through the Legislature.
Sen. Shelly Short (R-Addy) announced Saturday the state Department of Ecology will not pursue Senate Bill 5174.
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The measure, which was first introduced at the request of the Department of Ecology, would have made a statewide regulatory program reinforcing requirements set forth by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Supporters of the bill said it would promote better air quality in the state while opponents argued it was costly and unnecessary.
“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,” Short said. “I am sure it is a relief as well for stove manufacturers in Washington and elsewhere. The cost of compliance would have driven many of them 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 if would have given people an incentive to keep using older, less-efficient stoves rather than clean new ones.”
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