Wood Stove Changeout Clears the Air in LIbby, Montana

Contact: Deidra Darsa
(703) 522-0086 ET
darsa@hpba.org

Wood Stove Changeout Clears the Air in Libby, Montana
U.S. EPA Declares Libby Area Air Quality Meets Fine Particle Standard

Arlington, VA (October 13, 2009) - The Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association (HPBA) is excited to announce the final success of the Libby, Montana, wood stove changeout program. This effort led by HPBA, the U.S. EPA and Montana state and local officials replaced 1130 outdated wood-burning appliances with new cleaner burning EPA-certified wood stoves donated and installed by HPBA member companies.

Prior to the changeout, the Lincoln County town of Libby was predicted to fall short of meeting the new 24-hour fine particulate matter (PM2.5) federal standard according to state-validated air quality monitoring data for the three years, 2005 through 2007. However, data for the most recent three years - 2006, 2007 and 2008 - proved the area was meeting the standard. It is now an official attainment area.

"These results show that new technology wood-burning stoves, fireplace inserts and pellet stoves have a positive affect on the environment - both outdoors and in," said Jack Goldman, president of HPBA. "Not only do they burn cleaner than old-model stoves, they burn far more efficiently and use one-third less wood to heat the same space than previous stoves. This is great news for the people in Libby. They can now continue to warm their homes safely with wood, their main fuel source for home heating."

According to U.S. EPA, PM2.5 is a by-product of fuel combustion from wood burning, gasoline automobiles, diesel-powered vehicles such as trucks and busses, power plants and industrial processes and has been associated with a variety of serious health problems including heart attacks, chronic bronchitis and asthma. By removing old technology wood-burning stoves and replacing them with new clean-burning stoves, residents of Libby, MT, are breathing easier.



Consumers interested in clean-burning wood- or pellet-burning appliances can now receive a federal tax credit for up to $1,500 on the purchase and installation of a 75% efficient appliance. For information on clean-burning wood stoves and the federal 30%/$1500 consumer tax credit for wood and pellet burning stoves, go to www.hpba.org/taxcredit.

For more information on wood stove changeouts and Libby, Montana, go to www.woodstovechangeout.org.

About Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association (HPBA)
The Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association is an international trade association first established in 1980 to represent and promote the interests of the hearth products industry in North America. In 2002, the Hearth Products Association (HPA) merged with the Barbecue Industry Association (BIA) to form HPBA. The association includes manufacturers, retailers, distributors, manufacturers' representatives, service and installation firms, and other companies and individuals - all having business interests in and related to the hearth, patio, and barbecue products industries. For more information, please visit www.hpba.org or www.woodstovechangeout.org.