This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Next time they replace a water heater, Utahns may be required to buy ones that greatly reduce pollution — but cost $50 to $100 apiece more.
The Utah House voted 39-25 to pass HB250, and sent it to the Senate. Because the House requires 38 votes for passage, the measure had only one vote to spare.
HB250 would limit the sale of water heaters in Utah to models that qualify as ultra-low-NOx emitters.
Nitrogen oxide —NOx — is a precursor chemical that contributes to both fine-particulate pollution in the winter and ozone formation in the summer.
Rep. Ed Redd, R-Logan, the bill's sponsor, said that the change would remove as much NOx as would shutting down all the state's oil refineries.
But several lawmakers complained the bill would require everyone statewide to buy the low-pollution models, even if they live in rural areas without pollution problems.
Rep. Jeremy Peterson, R-Ogden, said Salt Lake County residents alone may need to spend somewhere between $15 million and $45 million in extra expense for such water heaters over the next 10 years.
— Lee Davidson