[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 89 (Monday, May 8, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26606-26607]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-11428]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-6600-6]


Project XL Proposed Final Project Agreement: Georgia-Pacific 
Corporation Big Island, Virginia XL Project

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: EPA is requesting comments on a proposed Project XL Final 
Project Agreement (FPA) for the Georgia-Pacific Corporation Big Island, 
Virginia XL Project (hereafter ``Georgia-Pacific''). The FPA is a 
voluntary agreement developed collaboratively by Georgia-Pacific, the 
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VADEQ), the USDA Forest 
Service (FS) and the EPA. Project XL, announced in the Federal Register 
on May 23, 1995 (60 FR 27282), gives regulated entities the flexibility 
to develop alternative strategies that will replace or modify specific 
regulatory or procedural requirements on the condition that they 
produce greater environmental benefits. EPA has set a goal of 
implementing fifty XL projects undertaken in full partnership with the 
states.
    Georgia-Pacific Corporation owns and operates a non-sulfur, non-
bleaching, semi-chemical pulp and paper mill in Big Island, Virginia 
(Mill). The Mill produces corrugated medium and liner board (the inside 
and outside components of cardboard) from hardwood pulp and secondary 
recycled fiber. The Mill is subject to the Pulp and Paper Mill Cluster 
Rule (a hazardous air pollution standard promulgated under the federal 
Clean Air Act (CAA)), which is based on installation of Maximum 
Achievable Control Technology (MACT) on regulated emission sources. A 
second MACT standard applicable to pulp and paper mills (MACT II), was 
proposed on April 15, 1998 to specifically address emissions from 
combustion sources associated with the recovery of pulping chemicals. 
At the Mill pulping liquor is added to hardwood chips, and the mixture 
is passed through digesters to produce the pulp. Currently the Mill

[[Page 26607]]

takes the spent pulping or black liquor, reduces it through 
evaporation, and flame combusts the resultant concentrated liquor in 
two ``smelters,'' also called ``recovery furnaces.'' The smelters 
recover the sodium carbonate in a molten smelt that is then dissolved 
in water to produce new pulping liquor.
    Due to the age and physical condition of the existing smelters at 
the Mill, to comply with MACT II Georgia-Pacific would have to 
substantially upgrade or rebuild these units and add additional 
emission control devices. Alternatively, they would need to replace the 
smelters with a new recovery boiler that uses conventional technology. 
Georgia-Pacific has investigated, and proposes to install, a third 
alternative for recovering pulping chemicals at its facility, using an 
innovative black liquor gasification system. Under this alternative, 
the concentrated black liquor would be pyrolyzed (thermal conversion of 
organic compounds) to liberate a combustible gas (primarily hydrogen), 
which in turn would be burned as an energy source to drive the 
pyrolysis and to produce steam to be used elsewhere in the Big Island 
facility. Sodium carbonate pellets would be recovered during this 
process for reuse in fresh pulping liquor.
    Georgia-Pacific's proposed installation of a black liquor 
gasification system would be the first commercial application of this 
innovative gasification technology in the United States. Deployment of 
the proposed gasification technology promises reduced consumption of 
fossil fuel, increased efficiency in energy conversion and chemical 
recovery, elimination of the smelt-water explosion hazard (inherent to 
the operation of conventional recovery boilers), reduced maintenance 
costs, and significantly lower environmental emissions of criteria 
pollutants (particulate, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, volatile 
organic compounds precursors to ozone), carbon monoxide), hazardous air 
pollutants, and greenhouse gases. If Georgia-Pacific experiences no 
problems or delays in construction and testing of the gasification 
technology, Georgia-Pacific expects that its gasifier could be 
operational in time to meet the MACT II standards when they become 
effective. However, Georgia-Pacific is pursuing an XL Project for its 
Mill for the following reasons:
    (1) to be able to operate the existing smelters past the otherwise 
applicable MACT II compliance date, if necessary, while the 
gasification system is brought on line and during a limited trial of 
the gasification system using black liquor from Kraft pulp mills;
    (2) to assure that if the gasification system fails, Georgia-
Pacific would be allowed to operate its existing smelters, as 
necessary, past the otherwise applicable MACT II compliance date while 
it constructs a conventional recovery boiler; and
    (3) to allow the steam generated by the new process to be utilized 
elsewhere at the Mill.
    This project does not include modifications to production areas of 
the Mill. This project is not intended to increase pulp or paper 
production. The new gasification system will be similar in capacity to 
the existing smelters. Due to the extensive nature of the stateholder 
process conducted by Georgia-Pacific on this project, the comment 
period will be 14 days.

DATES: The period for submission of comments ends on May 22, 2000.

ADDRESSEES: All comments on the proposed Final Project Agreement should 
be sent to: Steven Donohue, EPA Region III, 1650 Arch Street, 
Philadelphia, PA 19103-2029, or David Beck, Mail Drop 10 EPA Research 
Triangle Park, NC 27711. Comments may also be faxed to Mr. Donohue at 
(215) 814-2783 or to Mr. Beck at (919) 541-2464. Comments may also be 
received via electronic mail sent to: [email protected] or 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To obtain a copy of the proposed Final 
Project Agreement or a Fact Sheet, contact: Steven Donohue, EPA Region 
III 1650 Arch Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103-2029, or David 
Beck, Mail Drop 10 EPA Research Triangle Park, NC 27711. The FPA and 
related documents are also available via the Internet at the following 
location: http://www.epa.gov/ProjectXL. In addition, public files on 
the project, including the FPA, are located in the Big Island Public 
Library, 1111 Schooldays Road, Big Island, VA 24526 (804) 299-5604 and 
in the Amherst County Public Library, P.O. Box 370, Amherst, Virginia 
24521 (804) 946-9388. Questions to EPA regarding the documents can be 
directed to Steven Donohue at (215) 814-3215 or David Beck at (919) 
541-5421. To be included on the Georgia-Pacific Project XL mailing list 
for information about future public meetings, XL progress reports and 
other mailings from Georgia-Pacific on the XL project, contact Pat 
Moore, Georgia-Pacific Corporation, P.O. Box 40 Highway 501 North, Big 
Island, Virginia 24526 (804) 299-5911 ext. 286. For information on all 
other aspects of the XL Program contact Christopher Knopes at the 
following address: Office of Policy, Economics and Innovation, United 
States Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M Street, SW Room M3802 
(Mail Code 1802), Washington, DC 20460. Additional information on 
Project XL, including documents referenced in this notice, other EPA 
policy documents related to Project XL, regional XL contacts, 
application information, and descriptions of existing XL projects and 
proposals, is available via the Internet at http://www.epa.gov/ProjectXL.

    Dated: May 2, 2000.
Elizabeth A. Shaw,
Deputy Associate Administrator for Reinvention Programs.
[FR Doc. 00-11428 Filed 5-5-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P