AIR TOXICS PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

2. Combustion Standards

Sections 111 and 129 of the CAAA require U.S. EPA to establish new source performance standards (NSPS) for new units and to establish Emission Guidelines for existing units. U.S. EPA has already promulgated NSPS and Emission Guidelines for Large Municipal Waste Combustors (MWC), all sizes of Hospital/Medical/Infectious Waste Incinerators (HMIWI) and has recently proposed a Federal plan for small municipal waste combustion units. The Agency plans to promulgate NSPS and Emission Guidelines for the remaining solid waste combustion source category, "Very Small MWC."

3. Area Source Standards

While the U.S. EPA may develop MACT standards for some area sources to meet its targeted HAP reductions, it is expected that most area sources will be subject to Generally Available Control Technology (GACT). GACT is a more flexible process which allows U.S. EPA to consider the large number and diversity area sources, and limitations in the data and information currently available for many of them. It may be more appropriate in some cases to develop requirements that would apply to several area source categories (e.g., where there are very few area sources, they are confined to a limited geographic area or areas, or they contribute to localized public health or environmental risks). Consequently, GACT will allow States, Locals, or Tribes to address cumulative risk posed by area sources in locations with higher aggregate HAP emissions.

4. Residual Risk Determinations

U.S. EPA is in the initial phases of conducting residual risk determinations for source categories which have MACT standards in place. U.S. EPA will assess the public health and environmental risk which may remain after HAP emissions are reduced by MACT standards. Based on these studies, U.S. EPA will determine whether or not further action is needed on all sources where MACT was required. The first sources to be addressed will be coke ovens and dry cleaners.

In December of 2000, U.S. EPA made a determination under section 112(n)(1)(a) of the Clean Air Act that it would regulate emissions of hazardous air pollutants from coal and oil-fired power plants. USEPA will propose regulations by the end of 2003, and promulgate final rules by 2004. In addition, the President has committed to propose legislation that would reduce mercury emissions from power plants as part of a multi-pollutant strategy to reduce air pollution from the power generating sector.

6. Mobile Source Toxics Controls

7. Diesel PM Mobile Source Standards

The new on-road heavy duty diesel rule, effective March 19, 2001, requires a 90 percent reduction in particulate emissions, starting in 2007. It also requires a 97 percent reduction in the maximum amount of sulfur allowed in highway diesel fuel, from the current cap of 500 parts per million to 15 parts per million, phased in over 3½ years beginning in 2006. EPA is also in the process of developing non-road diesel standards.

U.S. EPA issued a rule referred to as 202(l) in March 2001 to address toxics emissions from mobile sources. In addition to identifying 21 mobile source air toxics (MSATs), the rule sets new gasoline toxic emission performance standards. Under these new requirements, refiners must maintain their average 1998-2000 toxics performance levels, which are better than what current RFG and antidumping regulations require, for benzene, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, 1,3-butadiene, and polycyclic organic matter (POM).

9. Community Assessments

The Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards (OAQPS) is conducting national scale studies of air toxic risks, however, these studies will not have the resolution required to assess a localized problem. Consequently, Regional Offices, State Agencies, Local Agencies, and Tribes have been tasked by U.S. EPA to study areas of disproportionate risk from air toxics. In particular, agencies are focusing on urban areas with numerous air toxic sources. Results of these studies will be shared with OAQPS and will offer additional information in developing the residual risk determinations.

On a national level, U.S. EPA is developing infrastructure and programs to address urban air toxics. However, it is equally important that our state, local, and tribal partners have developed programs. The national program will rely on our partners to assist in conducting community assessments for air toxics risks. U.S. EPA is currently developing a framework of implementation options for state, local, and tribal air toxics programs to assist in their development.

Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) are limits designed to address the amount of an air toxic that may be released into the atmosphere and deposited, while maintaining water quality standards for lakes and rivers. U.S. EPA has already developed a mercury TMDL for the Savannah River watershed, and has two TMDL pilot projects for Florida’s Everglades and Wisconsin’s Devil’s Lake.

In 1990, Congress passed the Pollution Prevention Act, which is aims to reduce waste at the source before it is generated. U.S. EPA's P2 program is designed to facilitate the incorporation of pollution prevention concepts and principles into the daily operations of government agencies, businesses, manufacturers, nonprofit organizations, and individuals. Pollution prevention includes numerous voluntary initiatives by U.S. EPA and its partners to achieve reductions in toxics.

Many States have independently conducted ambient air toxics monitoring since the 1970's. A number of these sites have been incorporated into new National and Regional monitoring networks. The National Air Toxics Monitoring Program was created in 2001 and originally consisted of ten pilot sites (one per Region) where monitors measure a list of 18 "core" pollutants using consistent methods. The objectives of this program are to: (1) characterize ambient concentrations, (2) provide information to evaluate air quality models, and (3) establish trends and evaluate the effectiveness of emission reduction strategies. As the National Pilot Study nears completion, some Regional offices are establishing Regional networks which will include monitoring sites in each of their respective States.

http://www.epa.gov/ttn/amtic/

15. The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI)

NTI is an emission inventory developed every three years (1993, 1996, 1999, etc.) by U.S. EPA. The NTI is a national inventory of stationary point and area sources and mobile on-road and nonroad source categories. U.S. EPA’s Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards (OAQPS) prepares the NTI using various sources of data. The five primary sources of the 1996 NTI data were: (1) state and local toxics inventories developed by state and local air pollution control agencies, (2) existing databases related to OAQPS’s MACT programs, (3) TRI data, (4) emissions estimated by using mobile source methodology developed by U.S. EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality, and (5) area source emission estimates generated using emission factors and activity data.