Second stove fair draws a crowd
Local residents look over stove models Saturday and talk to factory reps, industry representatives and local stove sellers during the second stove fair in the Libby area's effort to bring air quality within compliance with federal laws.
Nearly 250 people turned in applications for vouchers to subsidize the cost of replacing an old non-EPA certified woodstove at Saturday's stove fair in Libby.
The event marked the start of the second phase of a woodstove changeout program aimed at bringing the area into compliance with new federal air quality standards. County sanitarian Ron Anderson said he was encouraged by the number of voucher applications turned in as well as by the number and kinds of questions asked by people who attended the fair.
About a dozen dealers and installers of EPA-certified woodstoves and other approved alternatives to non-certified stoves set up displays at the fair.
"They put a lot into it, and it was a very, very nice opportunity for people to start looking into the options they have," Anderson said.
Representatives from the Montana Department of Environmental Quality were also available to share information on tax credits and other incentives for woodstove replacement.
"They ended up giving away everything they brought, and they brought boxes and boxes," Anderson said.
Beginning next January, woodstoves not certified by the EPA as clean-burning will be banned from use in the Libby area. The area extends along Montana Highway 37 nearly to Canoe Gulch, west along the Kootenai River to the Bighorn Terrace area, and south to Libby Creek. In the Pipe Creek area, the restrictions will extend to the neighborhood around the Red Dog Saloon and Doak Creek.
The first phase of the stove changeout program involved 300 stoves donated by the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association for distribution at no charge to low-income homes. About half those stoves remain, and that part of the program will continue until the stoves are gone.
The second phase, kicked off with Saturday's fair, is not income-based. Area residents will be provided with vouchers to subsidize the cost of replacing non-certified stoves. Amounts will be $700 for an approved gas, wood or pellet heating appliance, $350 for installation by an approved installer, $200 for removal of an old stove without replacement, and $1,400 for furnace replacement or upgrade with a pellet or gas appliance. A $1 million grant secured by U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns and provided through the Environmental Protection Agency budget is providing funding for the vouchers.
About 325 applications for vouchers had been turned in altogether as of Monday, Anderson said. About 900 stoves are targeted for replacement.