Short: Washington Wood Stove Legislation Is Dead

The state Department of Ecology is backing off, for the year, on a proposal to regulate wood-burning stoves sold in Washington and duplicate standards already imposed by federal regulation, that according to state Senator Shelly Short.  The Addy Republican noted if Senate Bill 5174 had moved forward, it would have limited stove options while driving up costs.

"While I consider the issue dead, I will be watching for a number of things to make sure that it doesn't rear its ugly head through potentially the budget.”

She added Ecology’s decision is great news for rural Washingtonians, many of whom rely on woodstoves and pellet stoves to heat their homes.

“Good for people and the ability to use their stoves, their wood stoves, their pellet stoves to heat their homes and for the manufacturers to continue to do what they do so well.”

The measure, introduced at the request of the Department of Ecology, would have launched a state regulatory program to duplicate requirements already enforced by the federal Environmental Protection Agency.  Ecology’s argument was that the feds can’t be trusted to enforce their own regulations properly.  The state agency cited a 2023 report from the federal Office of Inspector General that found major flaws in EPA testing and enforcement procedures.

However, stove manufacturers said EPA is addressing the issues identified in the report, by requiring costly retests of stoves to ensure they meet tough new clean-burning standards.  By launching its own regulatory program, Washington would have been able to require its own tests and determine which stoves would be allowed for sale in Washington state.

Click Here to learn more about SB 5174.