NANNY STATE ALERT! The attorneys general in seven states are suing the EPA, trying to force the Federal government to begin regulating residential wood burning. And if theyâre successful, the regulations wonât just apply in those seven states, theyâll apply everywhere.
from CNS:
A lawsuit filed against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by seven states is seeking to force the federal agency to impose stringent new regulations on residential wood-burning heaters, which they claim âcan increase particle pollution to levels that cause significant health concerns.â
The lawsuit, filed last month in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia by the attorneys general of Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Vermont, is directed against currently unregulated âindoor and outdoor wood boilers,â which have become an increasingly popular way to heat homes, particularly in rural areas.
A related suit was filed by the environmental group Earthjustice.
The U.S. Census Bureauâs 2011 American Housing Survey (AHS) reported that 2.4 million housing units â or 12 percent of all American homes - now burn wood as their main heating fuel, compared to 7 percent heated with fuel oil.
Although wood is a renewable resource, âEPA estimates that outdoor wood boilers will produce more than 20 percent of wood burning emissions by 2017,â the lawsuit claims.
If the lawsuit is successful in forcing EPA to impose new regulations on wood-burning heating units, many low- and middle-class families living primarily in rural areas may be forced to spend thousands of dollars to switch to newer units or use more expensive forms of energy in order to stay warm....