United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States National Archives and Records Administration Office of the Federal Register author aut Government Organization text government publication eng FR Regulatory Information 2015_register executive 2018-03-01 article Part II Rules and Regulations D09002ee1c7f6eeec D09002ee1c7f6efce United States Environmental Protection Agency originator org United States Government Agency or Subagency This final rule, promulgated under the Clean Water Act (CWA), protects public health and the environment from toxic metals and other harmful pollutants, including nutrients, by strengthening the technology-based effluent limitations guidelines and standards (ELGs) for the steam electric power generating industry. Steam electric power plants contribute the greatest amount of all toxic pollutants discharged to surface waters by industrial categories regulated under the CWA. The pollutants discharged by this industry can cause severe health and environmental problems in the form of cancer and non-cancer risks in humans, lowered IQ among children, and deformities and reproductive harm in fish and wildlife. Many of these pollutants, once in the environment, remain there for years. Due to their close proximity to these discharges and relatively high consumption of fish, some minority and low-income communities have greater exposure to, and are therefore at greater risk from, pollutants in steam electric power plant discharges. The final rule establishes the first nationally applicable limits on the amount of toxic metals and other harmful pollutants that steam electric power plants are allowed to discharge in several of their largest sources of wastewater. On an annual basis, the rule reduces the amount of toxic metals, nutrients, and other pollutants that steam electric power plants are allowed to discharge by 1.4 billion pounds; it reduces water withdrawal by 57 billion gallons; and, it has social costs of $480 million and monetized benefits of $451 to $566 million. 80 FR 67838 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/FR-2015-11-03/2015-25663 2015-25663 fr03no15-13 RIN 2040-AF14 6560-50-P EPA-HQ-OW-2009-0819 FRL-9930-48-OW https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/FR-2015-11-03/2015-25663 https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2015-11-03/html/2015-25663.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2015-11-03/pdf/2015-25663.pdf Environmental Protection Electric Power Generation Power Plants Waste Treatment and Disposal Water Pollution Control 66 p. 67838 67903 80 FR 67838 Title 40 Part 423 40 CFR Part 423 RIN 2040-AF14 Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Steam Electric Power Generating Point Source Category; Federal Register Vol. 80, Issue RULE 2015-25663 II ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 2016-01-04 EPA-HQ-OW-2009-0819 FRL-9930-48-OW 6560-50-P 2015-25663 Final rule.

This final rule, promulgated under the Clean Water Act (CWA), protects public health and the environment from toxic metals and other harmful pollutants, including nutrients, by strengthening the technology-based effluent limitations guidelines and standards (ELGs) for the steam electric power generating industry. Steam electric power plants contribute the greatest amount of all toxic pollutants discharged to surface waters by industrial categories regulated under the CWA. The pollutants discharged by this industry can cause severe health and environmental problems in the form of cancer and non-cancer risks in humans, lowered IQ among children, and deformities and reproductive harm in fish and wildlife. Many of these pollutants, once in the environment, remain there for years. Due to their close proximity to these discharges and relatively high consumption of fish, some minority and low-income communities have greater exposure to, and are therefore at greater risk from, pollutants in steam electric power plant discharges. The final rule establishes the first nationally applicable limits on the amount of toxic metals and other harmful pollutants that steam electric power plants are allowed to discharge in several of their largest sources of wastewater. On an annual basis, the rule reduces the amount of toxic metals, nutrients, and other pollutants that steam electric power plants are allowed to discharge by 1.4 billion pounds; it reduces water withdrawal by 57 billion gallons; and, it has social costs of $480 million and monetized benefits of $451 to $566 million.

The final rule is effective on January 4, 2016. In accordance with 40 CFR part 23, this regulation shall be considered issued for purposes of judicial review at 1 p.m. Eastern time on November 17, 2015. Under section 509(b)(1) of the CWA, judicial review of this regulation can be had only by filing a petition for review in the U.S. Court of Appeals within 120 days after the regulation is considered issued for purposes of judicial review. Under section 509(b)(2), the requirements in this regulation may not be challenged later in civil or criminal proceedings brought by EPA to enforce these requirements. For technical information, contact Ronald Jordan, Engineering and Analysis Division, Telephone: 202-566- 1003; Email: jordan.ronald@epa.gov. For economic information, contact James Covington, Engineering and Analysis Division, Telephone: 202-566- 1034; Email: covington.james@epa.gov. Environmental Protection Electric Power Generation Power Plants Waste Treatment and Disposal Water Pollution Control Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Steam Electric Power Generating Point Source Category , covington.james@epa.gov jordan.ronald@epa.gov http://www.eia.gov/forecasts/aeo/assumptions/pdf/electricity.pdf http://www.epa.gov/npdes/pubs/OWM0469.pdf http://www.regulations.gov http://www2.epa.gov/cleanpowerplan/carbon-pollution-standards-new-modified-and-reconstructed-power-plants http://www2.epa.gov/cleanpowerplan/clean-power-plan-existing-power-plants http://www2.epa.gov/eg/steam-electric-power-generating-effluent-guidelines-2015-final-rule Vol. 80, no. 212 Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration 2015-11-03 continuing daily deposited born digital 629 p. Table of Contents: AE 2.7: GS 4.107: AE 2.106: KF70.A2 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/FR-2015-11-03 P0b002ee198a25035 0097-6326 0042-1219 0364-1406 769-004-00000-9 000582072 f:fr03no15 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/FR-2015-11-03 https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2015-11-03/pdf/FR-2015-11-03.pdf https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2015-11-03/xml/FR-2015-11-03.xml fdlp 67621 68242 DGPO 2018-03-01 2024-06-02 FR-2015-11-03 machine generated eng FR FR-2015-11-03 80 212