Burn clean, get green

Butte County Air Quality Management District quickly doled out the $20,000 allocation for the fourth Wood Stove and Fireplace Change Out Incentive Program.

The program, which encourages homeowners to purchase new, clean-burning heating devices, began March 1 and ended the same day due to demand. Of the $20,000 funding allocation, half was reserved for the Oroville area, which includes Thermalito and Palermo.

Participants in the program received either a $250 or $1,000 voucher, which will be used toward the cost of replacing a non-EPA-certified wood stove with an EPA Phase II wood stove or cleaner-burning device, such as a pellet stove, gas-fired or certified equivalent burning device. The vouchers can also be used to retrofit an existing fireplace by installing a clean-burning insert.

For more info about BCAQMD, visit www.bcaqmd.org.