SEELEY LAKE – Seeley Lake Wood Stove Zone rule implementation is back in the works as the Missoula City-County Air Pollution Control Board begins to revisit changes to the rules set. The changes were suspended in 2020.
“This whole process was fully in motion until February 2020. Then, when the pandemic hit, everyone was distracted,” said Benjamin Schmidt, Missoula City-County Health Department Air Quality Specialist. “Even though we had gone through the entire process and held the first hearing in February 2020. It was decided at that time, by the Board of Health, to basically suspend this rule change package.”
The Air Board is getting back on track and reopening the hearing for April of this year.
“People do have an opportunity to make comments on the proposed rules again, which is a little unusual, but it’s because of that two-year gap,” Schmidt said. Written comments can be submitted up to two days before the April 21 hearing. The board will also listen to comments the day of the hearing, he said.
The proposal as it stands now creates a Seeley Lake Wood Stove Zone where only the cleanest and most efficient stoves can be installed. The purpose of the wood stove rule in Seeley is designed to minimize air quality impacts from new development and wood stove installations. Simply put, new stoves will be required to meet the 2020 EPA standards of 70% energy efficiency. Wood burning devices currently in place are grandfathered and acceptable at this time.
The proposed Zone is centered around the Seeley Lake Elementary School where the highest wood stove smoke concentrations are found. The proposed Zone includes the Highway 83 corridor from Cory’s Valley Market north to Hemlock Drive including Dogtown to the west, downtown Seeley Lake, and east of Tamarack Drive and Morrell Creek Drive.
The proposed rule is as follows:
Rule 9.204 - Installation Permit Requirements Inside the Seeley Lake Wood Stove Zone (1) Inside the Seeley Lake Wood Stove Zone, the department may only issue solid fuel burning device installation permits for: (a) Pellet stoves with emissions that do not exceed 2.0 gram per hour when labeled and tested in conformance with the EPA method (Subpart AAA). Pellet stoves must be 70% energy efficient or greater using the EPA method (Subpart AAA). (b) Solid fuel burning devices with emissions that do not exceed 2.0 grams per hour when tested with crib wood or solid fuel burning devices with emissions that do not exceed 2.5 grams per hour when tested with cord wood. The solid fuel burning devices must be labeled and tested in accordance with the EPA method (Subpart AAA). Solid fuel burning devices must be 70% energy efficient or greater using the EPA method (Subpart AAA). (c) A Wood-Fired Hydronic Heater or Wood Fired Forced Air Furnace that: (i) is labeled and has been tested in accordance with the EPA Method (Subpart QQQQ); and (ii) has particulate matter emissions less than or equal to 0.15 pounds per million Btu heat output for each individual burn rate. (c) Central heaters that: (i) meet the 2020 EPA Method (Subpart QQQQ) standards; and (ii) have particulate matter emissions less than or equal to 0.15 pounds per million Btu heat output for each individual burn rate, and (iii) have permanent label affixed specifying the EPA standard met. (2) An installation permit expires 180 days after issuance unless a final inspection is conducted or unless the department receives adequate documentation to ensure the type of device, and installation are in compliance with the provisions of this Program. (3) Solid fuel burning devices approved for installation must be installed, maintained and operated in the same condition under which they were tested.
Enforcement will first be educational. However, if a person doesn’t comply, there are potential fines, Schmidt said. Most people comply once the rules have been brought to their attention. National rule changes since 2015 require vendors to sell stoves that meet the new EPA requirements. This helps, Schmidt said. What is being installed throughout the nation is 70% efficiency. This means less heat is leaving the home via the stovepipe.
Schmidt said the reason for the proposed zone is to address wood smoke, something research has proven to be a negative impact on people’s health. This is particularly an issue for the at-risk population.
“Legally there’s the National Air Act which requires us to develop local programs to meet national ambient air quality standards,” he added. “What we are doing is just trying to find an incremental approach that will keep improving the air quality out there.”
During the period of 2012-2014 there was the Seeley Lake Woodstove Changeout Program. Schmidt said, “The Woodstove Changeout Program did a lot. They really improved the air quality in one neighborhood quite a bit, it improved it down there, just south of Pyramid Lumber is quite a bit better.”
Schmidt said they were no longer concerned regarding the area south of Pyramid Lumber. There have not been actual studies but visually a person does not see a smoke cloud.
The focus still needs to be on getting the air quality improved a little bit more in the area around Rovero’s, the elementary school and just that whole several block area, he added.
The majority of other changes proposed to the countywide program address corrections to spelling, reference errors and changes to align the location program with state and federal rules or edits for clarification. Substantive changes include restricting recreational fires during air alerts, (chapter 4), allowing conditional outdoor burning permits in the Missoula Air Stagnation Zone with approved technology (chapter 7), discontinuing the gasoline oxyfuel program in the event Missoula receives authorization to cease the program (Chapter 10) and specifying a person has 15 days to request a hearing to dispute an administrative review decision (chapter 14).
Restrictions regarding recreational fires during air alerts apply only to the Missoula Valley and do not extend up to Potomac or the Seeley Lake area. The Air Quality Hotline and web pages would be updated and those on the Air Quality Update email list would get a notice. Enforcement, when needed, would be done by patrols and residents calling in with complaints of an illegal burn.
The Air Board hearing will be held April 21 at 12:15 p.m. in the Sophie Moiese Room at the Missoula County Courthouse Annex, 200 W. Broadway. To comment prior to the meeting, email bschmidt@missoulacounty.us, mail comments to Air Comments, MCCHD 301 W Alder St, Missoula MT 599802, or fax to 406-258-4755. To review the response to previous comments a person can visit the county website: https://www.missoulacounty.us/government/health/health-department/home-environment/air-quality/air-quality-public-notices.
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