After hearing many complaints from Montgomery County residents about the high concentration of wood smoke and watching the continued installation of old, polluting wood stoves in neighborhoods, the Alliance for Green Heat is working towards a ban on new installments of old stoves. The Alliance met with the County Department of Environmental Protection and also made a formal presentation to the Montgomery County Energy and Air Quality Advisory Committee (EAQAC). The Alliance also reached out to the Mid-Atlantic Hearth, Patio, & Barbeque Association (MAHPBA) who supports the project, the Maryland Lung Association and other groups. This initiative would not affect existing stoves, but would prevent uncertified or exempt wood stoves from being installed in the future.
"It is important that major East Coast communities recognize wood smoke pollution is a residential problem, not one to lay at the feed of industry," said Rod Tinnemore, Wood Stove Coordinator at the Washington State Department of Ecology. "It is no longer acceptable to solve individual energy problems by creating community-wide health problems." Tinnemore said, referring to the impacts that are particularly likely in densely populated neighborhoods like many in Montgomery County.
If you are interested in staying abreast of this initiative, or live in Maryland and want to be part of a stakeholder process, please contact
Melissa@forgreenheat.org.
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