Find a contractor Buyer's guide Partner with us
MCAA Logo
Log in Sign up Join Hi, there Account
2026 Midyear Registration is OPEN
Find a contractor Buyer's guide Partner
Log in Sign up Join Account

MCAA Receives Favorable Ruling From EPA on Masonry Fireplaces

Words: Mason Contractors/Public/News/20110322060000-1.jpg" width="600" height="338" border="0" alt="The EPA will not include masonry fireplaces in the NSPS." />
The EPA will not include masonry fireplaces in the NSPS.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has decided not to pursue the inclusion of masonry site-built fireplaces in the rewriting of the New Source Performance Standard (NSPS) for new residential wood heaters.

The EPA had been advocating regulation of emissions on all masonry site-built fireplaces constructed in the U.S. This would have been a major change from the original NSPS published in 1988 that exempted fireplaces. The Mason Contractors Association of America (MCAA) has worked with the Brick Industry Association (BIA) and other interested parties to educate EPA representatives about the masonry site-built market and the implications of regulating that market.

A key component in the EPA’s decision was the agreement of the MCAA to develop an educational series on the proper construction and use of masonry site-built fireplaces to be used in the Masonry Certification program.

Gil Wood, EPA Staff Lead for the NSPS, indicated that the EPA was encouraged by the MCAA’s willingness to add courses on masonry site-built fireplaces to the Masonry Certification curriculum and looked forward to its development and implementation.

The EPA also cited the questionable cost-effectiveness of site-testing every fireplace built and the extent to which small business masons would be affected as reasons to not include masonry site-built fireplaces in the most current draft of the regulation.
 0
Bonding with Masonry 2026: Q2
June 2026

This issue’s questions come from a Mason Contractor and an Engineer. What questions do you have? Send them to info@masonrymagazine.com, attention Technical Talk.

David Biggs
Bonding with Masonry
Read More
The Thirty-Year Mason: Ergonomics as a Retention Strategy
June 2026

In most industry circles, the conversation around the labor shortage follows a predictable script: How do we find the next generation of masons? While recruitment is vital, we often overlook the most valuable asset already on the job site: the experienced

Shayne Sanders
MAP Partner
Read More
Acme Brick Company Releases 2026 Pocket Guide to Brick Construction
June 2026

For more than four decades, all the basics of building with brick have come in a guide small enough to fit into a pocket. Acme Brick has just released a 2026 version of its Pocket Guide to Brick Construction. And yes, it’s still printed on paper just like

MAP Partner
Read More
Masonry in the Media: Casa Azul, Chapultepec Castle, & More
June 2026

A film’s settings can take viewers to new locations, all from the comfort of their own home. It immerses them in the scenes, whether they take place in an opera house in Brazil or a grand mansion in Mexico City. Explore how these Latin American masonry ma

Lily Burger
Masonry in the Media
Read More