Nixon approves bill prohibiting DNR regs for wood-burning heaters

Gov. Jay Nixon recently signed into law a bill that prohibits the Missouri Department of Natural Resources from implementing regulations on wood-burning heaters without prior authorization by the General Assembly.

The bill was proposed after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency introduced a rule change earlier this year that would give manufacturers five years to comply with tougher standards designed to reduce emissions from wood stoves by about 80 percent.

When the measure was making its way through the statehouse, it had more than 30 co-sponsors, including Rep. Todd Richardson, R-Poplar Bluff. He said the bill, sponsored by Tim Remole, received strong bipartisan support as legislators rallied around a "common sense idea."

"It's a common sense sort of thing. The idea that we're going to treat a wood-burning stove the same as we would a coal-firing plant just doesn't make sense," Richardson said.

The representative said he was proud to see such an important piece of public policy become law, since the regulations had the potential to affect so many across the state, especially in southern Missouri. The bill was just one part of the state's continued effort to push back against harmful regulations, he said. Without its passing, Missouri would have been hit on two fronts.

"I think it was a very big win and a big win not only for the people who use wood to heat their homes, but also the industry around it," Richardson said. "We have a significant, sizable industry not only in providing firewood, but we also have a significant industry that manufactures wood burning stoves. It keeps people employed in this state. So when you look at the prospect of hitting that industry pretty hard, it certainly would've been a double whammy."

The measure's approval also sets a precedent for the future. Richardson said it's a strong statement in Missouri's attempts to be active against overreaching regulations from agencies such as the EPA.

"I hope this type of legislation forms the model for how we as a state assert our ability to say, 'We are going to craft the policy of this state and make sure it's done in a balanced way that's in the best interest of the people of Missouri.' I do think it has the potential to be that kind of model, not only for Missouri, but for the rest of the country as well," he said.

The bill is HB 1302.

srinehart@semissourian.com

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