$1 Million from Wood Stove Industry Announced Today for Cleaner Air in Libby, Montana.

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Wood Stove Manufacturers and Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association Donate Clean-Burning Wood Stoves and Resources to Libby; Announcement Made at Libby Event with EPA and Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer 

More than 300 low-income households in Libby, Mont. will receive new wood stoves this year from product donations and resources provided by the wood stove industry. These wood stoves are being provided free of charge to Lincoln County to give to households in the Libby area that burn wood for heat and qualify for public assistance. This effort totals more than $1 million dollars. The donation was announced today at an event on a bluff overlooking the city of Libby.

"This donation will go a long way towards helping improve the winter air in Libby," noted Carter Keithley, president and CEO of the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association, which is leading the donation effort on behalf of its manufacturer members that are participating. "It's a start in a bigger effort, and we are excited to be a partner in this important project."

The donated products are part of a greater program called the Lincoln County Woodstove Changeout. The changeout is a multi-year effort to help replace all the old wood stoves in the area (more than 1,200). This will help the Libby area in its effort to gain attainment status. Recently, the area was designated non-attainment for PM2.5 (particle pollution standard) by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Lincoln County and HPBA are partnering in this effort with the U.S. EPA's Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, the EPA Region 8 office, as well as the Montana Department of Environmental Quality. The program is being administered and championed by Lincoln County.

Joining Keithley at the announcement was a number of partner representatives, including Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer and Steve Page of the EPA. The major donating manufacturers include:

--CFM Corporation

--Hearth & Home Technologies

--Jotul North America 

--Lennox Hearth Products

--Monessen Hearth Systems

--Regency Fireplace Products

--Simpson Dura-Vent

--Travis Industries

"The wood stove industry is committed to making a difference in communities throughout the U.S. when it comes to reducing excessive wood smoke," noted Keithley. "Wood is an economical and renewable home heating fuel, but it needs to be used in an environmentally responsible way. Old, dirty-burning, uncertified wood stoves generate an unacceptable amount of smoke for the heat they deliver. Today's new appliances are not only cleaner burning, but they also use less fuel."

The Lincoln County Woodstove Changeout is the start of a bigger effort by HPBA and EPA. It marks the first in many changeouts through The Great American Woodstove Changeout, a campaign focused on reducing residential wood smoke through the replacement of older wood stoves.

The wood stove industry advocates for the replacement of old wood stoves (those that are not certified by the EPA to be clean-burning), for newer, low-emission ones, that include new, smoke reducing technology. The industry has been a partner in wood stove changeout programs since 1990, when it contributed to the clean-up of the wood smoke issue in Crested Butte, Co.

In many cases, an older wood stove can produce two-thirds more emissions than one with newer technology. On certain nights in communities where wood burning is popular, wood smoke can cause air quality issues.

In addition to Crested Butte, HPBA has been involved in stove changeout programs in the Great Lakes region, the Northeast, Puget Sound, as well as Northern California. Education about clean burning and how to enjoy a fire the right way is conducted regularly by local hearth retailers that are also members of the HPBA.

For more information on the Woodstove Changeout, go to www.woodstovechangeout.org. For details on the HPBA, go to www.hpba.org.

About the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association

The Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association (HPBA), based in Arlington, Va., is the North American industry association for manufacturers, retailers, distributors, representatives, service firms and allied associates for all types of hearth, barbecue and patio appliances, fuels and accessories. The association provides professional member services and industry support in education, statistics, government relations, marketing, advertising and consumer education. There are more than 2,600 members in the HPBA.