Final thoughts Changing Standards PFI makes changes to its Standards Program By Jennifer Hedrick – Executive Director, Pellet Fuels Institute A t a recent meeting of the Pellet Fuels Institute (PFI) Board of Di-rectors, the board approved mod-ifications to the PFI Standards Program, a third party accredited program that enables consumers to easily identify PFI Graded Fuel – pellets from pellet manu-facturing facilities that are subject to reg-ular third party inspection and laboratory testing. Some edits to the program simply update language in the program manu-als to make it clearer and more concise. “These changes improve and strengthen the existing program...” Other changes are more substantive and include: • A clarification that in referencing bags or weights, the program is not a weights and measures pro-gram. Individual states provide their own weights and measures oversight. • Reductions in the sampling fre-quency for manufacturers who demonstrate and maintain com-pliance with the program and who commit to setting up more comprehensive on-site testing and monitoring protocols (from one sample per 1,000 tons to one per 5,000 tons for qualifying pro-ducers). • Non-conformance level reduced from 95 per cent to 90 per cent. The previous level did not allow for virtually any variance from any test result at any time. • The inclusion of rules of using the PFI Quality Mark (Annex A.1 in the program’s QA/QC Hand-book). Two other changes address the allow-able diameter and bulk density. Once the program was implemented, it be-came apparent that the bulk density and diameter limits were not con-sistent with current industry norms. The revisions allow for a wider range for bulk density and for a slight increase of the diameter range. The PFI Board and the American Lumber Standards Committee, the program’s oversight body, approved the changes as a result of several years’ experience with PFI Standards Program imple-mentation. These changes improve and strengthen the existing program and are a result of ongoing oversight and review of the program against industry best prac-tices and data. The PFI Standards Program remains a voluntary program, however fuel man-ufacturers on the fence about joining an industry standards program are advised to consider the impact of a new regula-tion recently promulgated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA’s New Source Performance Stan-dard for New Residential Wood Heaters (NSPS) requires that new residential pel-let appliances utilize fuel submitted to an EPA-authorized fuel grading program, including the PFI Standards Program, CANplus and ENplus. Pellet manufacturers who wish to pro-vide products to consumers using these new appliances must meet the specifica-tions of at least one of these programs, as well as what EPA is calling minimum requirements; some of which differ from the requirements of the three standards programs. The language of the NSPS rule is ambiguous in certain instances, and PFI has been seeking clarity from EPA on a number of items in the rule so that fuel manufacturers can have a clear un-derstanding of how to meet the rule’s re-quirements. Simultaneously, PFI has taken legal action against EPA to seek removal of the minimum requirements from the rule, as we believe they are onerous and unneces-sary given EPA’s acceptance and inclusion of the three graded fuel programs that have been adopted by the industry. These issues have not been resolved and do not delay the implementation of the rule. Despite the uncertainties, the rule is now in effect. Any consumer who purchases a new pellet appliance will need access to fuel produced by a manufacturer participating in an EPA-ap-proved grading program—PFI Standards Program, CANplus or ENplus. PFI will continue to provide updates on fuel standards and actions related to the NSPS Rule on our website. We encourage you to learn more at www.pelletheat.org/pfi-standards.• Check out our website at www.canadianbiomassmagazine. cafor up-to-date information on changes to international standards for wood pellets. 38 Canadian BIOMASS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015
Canadian Biomass September/October 2015: Page 38
