By Pepper Fisher

CLALLAM COUNTY – There is too much smoke in the air in western Washington, and it’s not good for anyone who breathes.

Our state has an agency you may have overlooked called the Olympic Region Clean Air Agency, or ORCAA, and they are trying to clear the air by offering residents $500 to remove and destroy old, uncertified wood stoves.

ORCAA’s Communications Manager Dan Nelson explains.

“The primary source of contaminants for the air right now comes from us. It’s what we do in our daily lives. And for the most part, it’s burning wood waste. It’s either burning indoor stoves for heat or it’s burning yard waste and land clearing. So, we’re trying to reduce that by getting that older uncertified wood stove out of circulation and replacing them with products that are cleaner burning and more efficient. So, people get better heat for less money and less pollution.”

Here’s how it works. Residents who burn at least 1 cord of wood per year must remove and destroy a wood stove or fireplace insert that is NOT compliant with 2020 New Source Performance Standards from their home.

Residents who choose to replace that old stove with a modern, cleaner burning natural gas or heat pump unit may also qualify for an extra grant of up to $1,800.

“We’re not anti-wood heat, we’re anti-smoke. So, if we can get people using more modern technology-driven wood burning devices, we’re all in favor of that. Technology has changed so rapidly over the last 10, 20 years back. Even if people don’t do any changes to their behavior, if they burn the same way they always have using modern technology, they can reduce the smoke emissions by 60 to 70 percent.”

There are rules. Among them is the fact that you have include photos of your old stove at your house and later at the scrap metal location with the door removed.

“And the goal is, again, to get those out of circulation, So, we don’t want them to show up on Craigslist or someplace else, where it’s actually illegal to reinstall an old, uncertified stove. So, we’re helping people stay within the law, hopefully, by paying to get rid of these responsibly.”

To participate, start at the website orcaa.org/burning and follow the instructions.