EPA Announces Timeline for Reconsideration of Air Toxics Standards for Boilers and Certain Incinerators / Open and transparent process will strengthen the basis for the protec...
WASHINGTON – As part of a filing with the US Court of
Appeals for the DC Circuit, the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) has set a schedule for issuing updated air toxics
standards for boilers and certain solid waste incinerators. To
ensure that the agency’s standards are based on the best
available data and the public is given ample opportunity to provide
additional input and information, the agency will propose standards
to be reconsidered by the end of October 2011 and issue final
standards by the end of April 2012. This is the best approach to
put in place technically and legally sound standards that will
bring significant health benefits to the American
public.
Following the April 2010 proposals, the agency
received more than 4,800 comments from businesses and communities,
including a significant amount of information that industry had not
provided prior to the proposals. Based on this input, the agency
made extensive revisions that resulted in dramatic cuts in the cost
of implementation, while maintaining maximum public health
benefits. Because the final standards significantly differ from the
proposal, however, EPA believed further public review was required
and announced it would reconsider the standards.
After the final standards were issued, multiple
industry groups petitioned the agency to delay the effective date
of standards for major source boiler and commercial and industrial
solid waste incinerator. In May 2011, EPA announced it would stay
the effective date of those standards. EPA did not stay the
effective date of the standards for boilers located at area sources
of air toxic emissions.
More information: https://www3.epa.gov/airquality//