On Aug. 23, more than two dozen environmental, consumer-protection, and public-health organizations formally petitioned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to initiate rulemaking proceedings to list residential and commercial heating appliances as a source category subject to regulation under Section 111(b) of the Clean Air Act. The petition further calls on EPA to “promptly” set standards of performance requiring zero NOx emissions from newly manufactured water heaters and furnaces within the source category.
Section 111(b) of the Clean Air Act legally obligates the EPA to list any category of stationary sources that “cause[s], or contribute[s] significantly to, air pollution which may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health or welfare” and issue performance standards for that category within one year of a listing decision. In addition to NOx emissions, fossil fuel-fired appliances also emit major amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2), the signatory groups stated in their joint petition.
A press release issued by the Sierra Club noted that, “unlike other sectors with comparable emissions that are already limited under the Clean Air Act, no standards exist that limit emissions from buildings, which is a dangerous oversight.”
More than half the buildings in the United States rely on furnaces and water heaters powered by fossil fuels, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Additionally, EIA data found that residential and commercial buildings in the United States now account for about 40 percent of total energy consumption and 14 percent of net greenhouse gas emissions.
“Fortunately, a non-emitting technology already exists for heating appliances that is highly efficient, readily available, and reasonably priced: electric heat pumps,” the Sierra Club stated. “The petition calls on EPA to phase in requirements that new water heaters and furnaces emit zero NOx emissions through the use of this critical technology.”
“Emissions from buildings have a harmful, and frankly scary, impact on human health and contribute significantly to the climate crisis,” said Sierra Club’s Building Electrification Campaign Deputy Director Amneh Minkara. “Yet, the main driver of direct pollution from buildings, fossil fuel-fired heating appliances, are allowed to emit with no limits or oversight by the federal government.”
“It is the duty of the EPA to keep the American public safe from breathing in these pollutants,” Minkara added. “By transitioning to heat pump technology that has zero NOx emissions, we can protect public health while also curbing climate pollution as a co-benefit.” 
Jaclyn Jaeger is a contributing editor at Compliance Chief 360° and a freelance business writer based in Manchester, New Hampshire.