Ten AGs Filed a Lawsuit against EPA for Failing to Update Wood Heater Standards

SEPTEMBER 21, 2023

New York Attorney General Letitia James led 10 AGs and the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency in filing a complaint against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for failing to revise standards for air pollution from wood heaters. EPA is required by the Clean Air Act to review and revise New Source Performance Standards for wood heaters every eight years, but has failed to meet this deadline. In their complaint, the AGs explained that this failure endangers the health of states’ residents, disrupts states’ efforts to meet emissions reductions goals, and frustrates state efforts to incentivize cleaner wood stoves. Smoke from wood heaters contains harmful pollutants, including particulate matter and carbon monoxide, which can lead to dangerous heart, lung, and other health effects. The AGs asked the court to order EPA to “promptly complete review, propose, and promulgate necessary revisions.”