EPA Announces Timeline for Reconsideration of Air Toxics Standards for Boilers and Certain Incinerators / Open and transparent process will strengthen the basis for the protective, cost-effective and achievable standards

Release date: 06/24/2011

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 boilers and commercial and industrial solid waste incinerators. 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.