According to a report in the February 2nd edition of Hearth & Home Magazine eNews, PFI’s new fuel standards revisions have been viewed positively by the EPA. The report quotes Gil Wood, EPA’s staff lead on New Source Performance Standards (NSPS), as saying “there are still some details to work out with the PFI, but we’re very pleased by where the PFI fuel standards are headed. We are ensuring that no construction waste will be included in the fuel so we won’t have to write new standards.”

PFI’s Standards Committee has long endeavored to develop a new standard that would both be approved by membership and satisfy EPA’s requirement for fuel standards under NSPS. The first part of that equation was completed when PFI’s membership voted to approve the new standards, and, with EPA’s recent comments, the second part seems ever closer. PFI will steadfastly work toward the implementation of the standards program, while keeping fuel manufacturers, retailers, and consumers informed about its impact.

PFI also learned of EPA’s intention to adopt the Washington State emissions standard of 2.5gph for pellet stoves as part of the NSPS. PFI will continue to closely monitor developments with NSPS and provide input to EPA, leading up to July 2012, when the final rule is due to be published.

PFI’s Standards Committee chairmen, Chris Wiberg and Scott Smith, will provide a standards update during the PFI Membership Luncheon on March 2, in Salt Lake City, UT. In addition, Gil Wood will be speaking about the New Source Performance Standards later that afternoon at the Biomass Central Heating Symposium that PFI is co-sponsoring. Finally, Chris Wiberg and John Crouch, PFI’s Director of Public Affairs, have organized a class for HPBExpo’s Education Program, PFI Fuel Standards: What Retailers Need to Know.

For more information about the PFI Membership Luncheon and the Biomass Central Heating Symposium, see below, or visit http://pelletheat.org/events/pfi-membership-luncheon/