An Act Regarding the Labeling of Wood Pellet and Biomass Heating Fuel Sold in the State
Maine Legislature, Session 124, LD 0298
Committee: Utilities and Energy
Sponsors: PINKHAM

Legislative Document 
No. 298 
H.P.238 
House of Representatives, Febmary 2,2009 
An Act Regarding the Labeling of Wood Pellet and Biomass Heating 
Fuel Sold in the State 
Reference to the Committee on Utilities and Energy suggested and ordered printed. 
71/!v~d 1'17· 7ll1i£~)/ul 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Presented by Representative PINKHAM of Lexington Township. 
Primed on recycled pllpcr 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 10 MRSA c. 21S-A is enacted to read: 
CHAPTER 21S-A 
LABELING OF WOOD PELLET AND BIOMASS HEATING FUEL 
§1460. Wood pellet and biomass heating fuel package labeling 
1. Definition. For the purposes of this section, "biomass heating fuel" means wood 
pellets or com or grain in a form designed to be used as heating fuel for residential 
purposes. 
2. Prohibition. A package containing biomass heating fuel may not be sold in this 
State if it is deceptively labeled in a manner that indicates the biomass heating fuel meets 
quality assurance standards established by a national pellet fuels trade association or the 
Department of Environmental Protection when it does not meet those standards. 
3. 
Rules. 
The Department of Environmental Protection shall adopt rules to 
implement this section. The department shall establish labeling standards for packages of 
biomass heating fuel weighing 60 pounds or less intended to be sold in stores to the 
general public that: 
A. Incorporate standards established by a national pellet fuels trade association; and 
B. Permit the use of the logo, terms and grades established by the national pellet 
fuels trade association under paragraph A only if the biomass heating fuel in the 
package meets that association's relevant quality assurance standards. 
Rules adopted under this subsection are major substantive rules as defined in Title 5, 
chapter 375, subchapter 2-A. 
4. Violations. Violation of this chapter is an unfair trade practice as prohibited by 
Title 5, section 207. 
SUMMARY 
This bill defines "biomass heating fuel" as wood pellets or com or grain that is in a 
form designed to be used as heating fuel for residential purposes. It requires packages 
containing biomass heating fuel that are sold in this State to be labeled in a manner that 
clearly indicates whether the biomass heating fuel meets quality assurance standards 
established by the Department of Environmental Protection. It requires the Department 
of Environmental Protection to adopt major substantive rules to establish labeling 
standards for packages of biomass heating fuel weighing 60 pounds or less intended to be 
sold in stores to the general public that incorporate standards established by a national 
pellet fuels trade association and permit the use of the logo, terms and grades established 
by the national pellet fuels trade association only if the biomass heating fuel meets that 
association's relevant quality assurance standards. It makes a violation an unfair trade 
practice as prohibited by the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, section 207. 
) 
) 
)