[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 248 (Wednesday, December 28, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page ]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-31743]


[Federal Register: December 28, 1994]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
40 CFR Part 60

[AD-FRL-5127-8]


New Source Performance Standards and Emission Guidelines: 
Industrial and Commercial Waste Incinerators and Other Solid Waste 
Incinerators

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM).

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SUMMARY: The EPA seeks information to identify and characterize 
industrial and commercial waste incinerators (ICWI) sources and where 
they are located. This action requests information and data concerning 
the operation, location, emissions, and emission controls for ICWI's.
    Another source category that may be similar to ICWI's is other 
solid waste incinerators (OSWI's). The EPA also requests information 
and data concerning the operation, emissions, and emission controls for 
OSWI's.

DATES: Information, data, and comments must be received on or before 
March 28, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Comments. Information, data, and comments on this notice 
should be submitted in duplicate to: The Air and Radiation Docket and 
Information Center, ATTN: Docket No. A-94-63, U. S. Environmental 
Protection Agency, 401 M. St., S.W., Room M1500 Mail Code 6102, 
Washington, DC 20460. Commenters wishing to submit proprietary 
information to be treated as confidential business information should 
not use the preceding address. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for 
directions on submitting proprietary comments.
    Docket. Dockets are available for public inspection and copying 
between 8:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, at the Air and 
Radiation Docket and Information Center, U.S. EPA, 401 M St., S.W., 
Room M1500, Washington, DC 20460. Their telephone number is (202) 260-
7548 and their fax number is (202) 260-4400. A reasonable fee may be 
charged for copying.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. George Smith at (919) 541-1549 or 
Mr. Fred Porter at (919) 541-5251, Emission Standards Division (MD-13), 
U.S. EPA, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Submission of Comments

    The EPA seeks full public participation in arriving at its final 
decisions, and strongly encourages comments on this notice from all 
interested parties. Whenever applicable, full supporting data and 
detailed analysis should accompany all comments to allow EPA to 
consider and understand these comments for the proposed rulemaking. All 
information, data, and comments should be directed to the EPA Air and 
Radiation Docket and Information Center, Docket No. A-94-63 (See 
Addresses). Information, data, and comments must be received on or 
before March 28, 1995.
    Commenters wishing to submit proprietary information for 
consideration should clearly distinguish such information from other 
comments, and clearly label it ``Confidential Business Information.'' 
Submissions containing such proprietary information should be sent 
directly to the following address, and not to the public docket, to 
ensure that proprietary information is not inadvertently placed in the 
docket: Attention: Mr. George Smith, c/o Ms. Melva Toomer, U. S. EPA 
Confidential Business Manager, 411 W. Chapel Hill Street, Room 944, 
Durham, NC 27701. Information covered by such a claim of 
confidentiality will be disclosed by the EPA only to the extent allowed 
and by the procedures set forth in 40 CFR part 2. If no claim of 
confidentiality accompanies a submission when it is received by the 
EPA, it may be made available to the public without further notice to 
the commenter.

II. Background Information

    Section 129 of the Clean Air Act requires the EPA to develop NSPS 
and EG for four classes of solid waste incineration units. These are 
municipal waste combustors (MWC's), medical waste incinerators (MWI's), 
ICWI's, and categories of OSWI's. The pollutants that will be regulated 
by these standards are particulate matter, opacity, sulfur dioxide, 
hydrogen chloride, oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide, lead, cadmium, 
mercury, and dioxins and dibenzofurans. Standards applicable to solid 
waste incineration units promulgated under this section shall reflect 
the maximum degree of reduction in emissions of the air pollutants 
listed above that the Administrator, taking into consideration the cost 
of achieving such emission reduction, and any non-air quality health 
and environmental impacts and energy requirements, determines 
achievable for new or existing units in each category. The 
Administrator may distinguish among classes, types (including mass-
burn, refuse-derived fuel, modular and other types of units), and sizes 
of units within a category in establishing such standards. The degree 
of reduction in emissions that is deemed achievable for new units in a 
category shall not be less stringent than the emissions control that is 
achieved in practice by the best controlled similar unit, as determined 
by the Administrator. Emission standards for existing units in a 
category may be less stringent than standards for new units in the same 
category but shall not be less stringent than the average emissions 
limitation achieved by the best performing 12 percent of units in the 
category (excluding units which first met lowest achievable emissions 
rates 18 months before the date such standards are proposed or 30 
months before the date such standards are promulgated, whichever is 
later).
    An MWC is defined as any equipment that combusts municipal solid 
waste. Municipal solid waste (MSW) is defined as either a mixture or a 
single-item stream of household, commercial, and/or institutional 
discards. This would include materials such as paper, wood, yard 
wastes, tree trimmings, plastics, leather, rubber, glass, metals, and 
other combustible and noncombustible materials. The MSW definition 
includes household discards as well as discards from institutional and 
commercial sources, but does not include industrial process or 
manufacturing discards. The MWC NSPS and EG were proposed on September 
20, 1994 (59 FR 48198 and 48228). The MWC NSPS and EG will regulate all 
new and existing units with plant capacities greater than 35 Mg/day.
    An MWI is defined as any device used to burn medical waste, with or 
without other types of waste and including the heat recovery device, if 
one is present. Medical waste is defined as any solid waste that is 
generated in the diagnosis, treatment, or immunization of human beings 
or animals, in research pertaining thereto, or in production or testing 
of biologicals. Medical waste includes materials such as sharps, 
fabrics, plastics, paper, waste chemicals/drugs that are not resource 
conservation and recovery act (RCRA) hazardous waste, and pathological 
waste. Medical waste does not include household waste, hazardous waste, 
or human and animal remains not generated as medical waste. The EPA is 
under a court order to propose the MWI standards by February 1, 1995.
    The EPA listed categories of OSWI's and a regulatory schedule for 
issuing standards under section 129 on November 2, 1993 (58 FR 58498). 
Promulgation for the NSPS AND EG is scheduled for November 15, 2000, 
and the OSWI categories that will be covered by these standards are as 
follows:

1. MWC's with plant capacities less than 35 Mg/day
2. Residential incinerators
3. Agricultural waste incinerators
4. Wood waste incinerators
5. Construction and demolition waste incinerators
6. Crematories
7. Contaminated soil treatment facilities
    All other incinerators burning solid waste other than what has been 
defined above, are probably industrial and commercial waste 
incinerators.
    The EPA believes that most incinerators operate in basically the 
same manner and that the controls for most incinerators are similar, 
i.e., wet scrubbers, acid gas control systems, electrostatic 
precipitators, spray dryer/fabric filter, etc. At this time, EPA 
believes that the technology requirements on which emission limits (and 
other requirements) are established are transferable to the other 
categories of sources. Unless enough information is received to develop 
standards for ICWI's, EPA may have to rely upon the data and 
information obtained during the study of other combustion sources. The 
EPA will also consider establishing a de minimis emission concentration 
level at which all facilities that emit less than this level may be 
exempt from some of the NSPS and EG requirements. Testing may be 
required to validate the facility's emissions.

III. Request for Comments, Data, and Information

    It is important that the Agency receive comments, data, and 
information from the owners and operators of ICWI's and OSWI's, States 
and local agencies, and anyone else who may have information concerning 
these sources. It would be very helpful for the Agency to learn what 
processes and/or control technologies that ICWI and OSWI facilities 
would use to reduce emissions. Therefore, comments on the information 
presented in this notice are requested from the public and the affected 
industry. Specific comments are requested on the following areas:
     Are there any incineration sources that are not already 
included by the MWC, MWI, or OSWI source categories? If so, please 
provide the following information about these sources: Name, address, 
phone number, type of waste burned, number of units, size of units, 
combustor type, existing control technology, age of equipment, and 
emissions data. Please accompany any emissions data with test method 
used and incinerator's parameters when test was performed.
     Please provide the following information about OSWI source 
categories: Name, address, phone number, type of waste burned, number 
of units, size of units, combustor type, existing control technology, 
age of equipment, and emissions data. Please accompany any emissions 
data with test method used and incinerator's parameters when test was 
performed.
     What are the capital and annual costs to operate and 
maintain the facility? Please itemize the costs to include the capital 
and annual cost of the incinerator, capital and annual cost of any 
emission controls used, capital and annual monitoring costs, and any 
other costs incurred as a result of emission control.
     What specific plant or control device characteristics 
would impact on a plant's ability to reduce emissions. Describe how and 
why the impact would occur.
    The EPA will consider only those comments that pertain to ICWI's 
and OSWI's sources and their performance levels and associated control 
technologies as discussed in this notice.

    Dated: December 19, 1994.
Carol M. Browner,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 94-31743 Filed 12-27-94; 8:45 am]
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