Every year, United States Senator Richard Shelby takes a job and industry tour around Alabama. This past weekend, Shelby came to north Alabama and visited Innovative Hearth Products (IHP) in Russellville.
IHP, which was formed in 2013 from a merger of two other companies, manufactures fireplaces, fireplace inserts, free-standing stoves, gas log sets and venting products for retail and residential sale. Since the merger, the company has grown to have operations in Auburn, WA, Union City, TN, Santa Ana, CA, Nashville, TN and Russellville.
IHP employs 784 people and wants to expand. The Russellville plant alone runs two shifts, and the building expanded about a year ago to house more employees and equipment.
“We want to create another 150 jobs, if government agencies could lift some regulations,“ said John Phillips, IHP director of engineering, to Shelby.
During Shelby’s visit, Phillips and Mike Pennington, IHP vice president of engineering and quality, addressed some problems the company is facing with regulations made by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy (DOE). The EPA wants to begin regulating emissions from warm air furnaces. However, to be able to abide by the new regulations, manufactures would need more than the 60 days the EPA wants to give them to do testing and revise their models.
“We are not disagreeing with the regulation,” said Pennington. “It is not healthy to breathe the wood smoke, but let’s really reduce it.”
Pennington explained that the manufactures would need about a year to do testing to truly begin eliminating wood smoke emissions from furnaces.
The DOE proposed a new rule that said, “All products covered by DOE’s proposed definition of ‘hearth product’ would be required to have an ignition system that allows zero gas consumption except for when the main burners are on (i.e. a standing pilot light ban).”
The problem is that the definition is so broad and the term “hearth products” can include anything from gas fireplaces and infrared patio heaters to gas and propane-fueled grills.
“The DOE skipped due process and went straight to the final ruling,” said Pennington, who added that the DOE never discussed the new regulation with manufactures.
During Shelby’s visit, Pennington asked Shelby to encourage the EPA to work with the industry, to have the EPA regulate IHP’s open wood-burning fireplaces before they no longer are on the market, and to contact the DOE about IHP’s problem with the new regulation.
“In order to bring new industry to north Alabama, we need to create conditions that allow industry to strive and make a profit instead of having someone leaning over their shoulders,” Shelby said. “We need to keep tax burdens and regulations off. We have to let the market of supply and demand work.”
Russellville mayor David Grissom expressed his gratitude for Shelby's visit to IHP.
"I appreciate Senator Shelby taking the time to visit Innovative Hearth Products in Russellville," Grissom said. "This expansion is great for our city, our county and our people. I know that Senator Shelby was impressed with the facility. and I appreciate his efforts to help IHP continue to create jobs in our city."
