Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
source.categories,.as.well.as.for.area.sources. .These.maximum.achievable.control.
technology.(MACT).standards.incorporate.“loor”.requirements.and.are.deined.to.
require.the.“maximum.degree.of.reductions.and.emissions.deemed.achievable.for.
the.[industrial.source].category.or.subcategory”.that.the.EPA,.“taking.into.consider-
ation.the.cost.of.achieving.the.reduction,.any.non-air-quality.health.and.environmen-
tal.impacts.and.energy.requirements,.determines.is.achievable.for.new.or.existing.
sources”.[38].
These.control.technologies.may.include.process.or.material.changes;.enclosures;.
collection.and.treatment.systems;.design,.equipment,.work.practice,.or.operational.
changes;.or.a.combination.of.the.foregoing.[38]..For.area.sources,.the.EPA.has.the.
option.to.establish.alternative.standards.that.do.not.necessarily.rise.to.the.stringency.
of.what.MACT.requires..For.these.sources,.Section.112(d)(5).provides.for.“the.use.
of. general. available. control. technologies. [GACT]. or. management. practices”. [39],.
which.does.not.necessitate.setting.a.minimum.control.level.that.might.prove.daunt-
ing.for.non-major.sources.to.meet.in.practice..Although.the.EPA.did.not.meet.the.
10-year.deadline.for.promulgation.of.MACT.standards.for.all.current.subject.source.
categories,.most.by.now.are.in.effect,.and.the.EPA.has.covered.a.great.deal.of.regula-
tory.ground.in.the.process.
Section.112(f).provides.a.second,.health-based.line.of.defense.for.MACT.sources,.
in.the.form.of.“residual.risk”.emissions.standards..These.are.to.be.established.within.
8. years. after. MACT. standards. are. promulgated. for. a. source. category,. if. the. EPA.
determines,.following.a.risk.assessment,.that.such.standards.are.necessary..Where.
they. apply,. residual. risk. standards,. similar. to. the. pre-1990. HAP. standards,. must.
incorporate.an.“ample.margin.of.safety.to.protect.public.health”.[40]..Because.the.
task.of.promulgating.MACT.standards.went.beyond.the.November.2000.deadline,.
residual.risk.standard-setting.still.is.in.its.early.stages,.and.it.is.too.soon.to.deter-
mine. the. real-world. impact,. including. compliance. issues,. that. these. health-based.
standards.will.have.
In.its.cursory.summary.of.Section.112,.the.EPA. Nanotechnology White Paper
notes,.but.does.not.elaborate.on,.the.provisions.of.Section.112(r).that.are.intended.
to. prevent. the. accidental. release. of. extremely. hazardous. substances. and. to. mini-
mize. the. consequence. of. any. such. release. that. should. occur. [41].. An. “accidental.
release”.is.deined.as.“an.unanticipated.emission.of.a.regulated.substance.or.other.
extremely.hazardous.substance.into.the.ambient.air.from.a.stationary.source”.[42]..
The. EPA. was. directed. to. establish. an. initial. list. of. the. 100. substances. posing. the.
greatest. risk. of. causing. death,. injury,. or. serious. adverse. effects. to. human. health.
or. the. environment. in. the. event. of. such. an. accidental. release,. along. with. thresh-
old. quantities. that,. if. released,. would. set. the. Section. 112(r). provisions. in. motion.
[43]..The.White.Paper,.however,.does.not.elaborate.on.whether.the.EPA.views.the.
accidental. release. provision. as. particularly. signiicant. in. the. context. of. regulating.
.CAA. §. 112(e)(1),. 42. U.S.C.. §. 7412(e)(1).. A. “major. source”. is. deined. as. “any. stationary. source. or.
group.of.stationary.sources.located.within.a.contiguous.area.and.under.common.control.that.emits.or.
has.the.potential.to.emit.considering.controls”.10.tons.per.year.(TPY).of.any.single.HAP.or.25.TPY.
of.any.combination.of.HAPs..CAA.§.112(a)(1),.42.U.S.C..§.7412(a)(1)..An.“area.source”.is.any.non-
major.stationary.source.of.HAPs;.it.expressly.excludes.motor.vehicles..CAA.§.112(a)(2),.42.U.S.C..§.
7412(a)(2).
 
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