WASHINGTON - As part of a filing with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. 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. According to EPA, 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. EPA said this is the best approach to put in place technically and legally sound standards.

Following its April 2010 proposals, EPA said it 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, EPA said it made extensive revisions that resulted in cuts in the cost of implementation, while maintaining 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 the standards. In May 2011, EPA announced that it would stay the effective date.

For more information, visit www.epa.gov/airquality/combustion.

Publication date: 07/04/2011