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Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Environment - House amendment would prohibit regulation of wood-fired boilers

A press release of State Representative Eric Koch, dated yesterday, announced:

(STATEHOUSE) Jan. 30, 2006 – An amendment by State Representative Eric Koch (R-Bedford) to House Bill 1332 would pre-empt the Indiana Department of Environmental Management from regulating outdoor wood burning furnaces and boilers.

“Many homes and businesses in my district are doing their part to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels by burning wood,” Rep. Koch said. “Wood is a renewable form of energy and Hoosiers should be encouraged, rather than discouraged, to burn wood, especially when fuel prices are so high.”

“Our limestone industry is a major user of these types of furnaces because of the large size of their buildings,” Rep. Koch said.

House Bill 1332 is an alternative energy bill co-authored by Rep. Koch that also includes incentives for biodiesel, blended biodiesel, and ethanol production.

Rep. Koch represents House District 65, which includes parts of Bartholomew, Brown, Jackson, and Lawrence Counties.

Here is the amendment and here is HB 1332.

See the Jan. 22nd ILB entry titled "Wood-fueled boilers stoke pollution debate" for a good overview of this issue.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on January 31, 2006 07:28 PM
Posted to Environment