On the recordJuly 7, 2015
I thank the gentleman from North Carolina for his leadership on this issue and for yielding the time to me. First, the administration went after coal. Now it is coming after wood heat. In March, the EPA finalized a new rule to regulate the type of wood burning stoves and boilers that you can buy, forcing millions of middle class Americans to pay more to heat their homes. That is why I am cosponsoring this legislation, to stop the administration from enforcing new prohibitions on a renewable, abundant, and, dare I say, carbon-neutral method of heating our homes that has been with us for centuries. If it passes, our amendment to the EPA funding bill will prohibit the Federal Government from using taxpayer money to enforce crippling regulations on wood burning heating appliances. As the price of electricity skyrockets due to the President's promise to bankrupt the coal industry, wood heat is a viable alternative for millions of Americans. Unfortunately, it seems like this administration would rather see people turn to the government for public assistance with their heating bills than to allow them an affordable means of self-sufficiency. Mr. Chairman, this is a State issue. The Federal Government should not be regulating wood burning appliances. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.
