EPA asks for boiler MACT rule extension
By Lisa Gibson
Biomass Power & Thermal
In a move that has the biomass industry talking, the U.S. EPA has filed a motion with the federal District Court for the District of Columbia seeking an extension of the current schedule for issuing the Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) rules.
The requested extension would allow another 15 months for the EPA to release rules reducing harmful air emissions from large and small boilers and solid waste incinerators. “After receiving additional data through the extensive public comment period, EPA is requesting more time to develop these important rules,” said Gina McCarthy, assistant administrator for the EPA’s Office of Air and Regulation.
Without the extension, the agency is on a court-ordered timeline to issue final rules by January, having already proposed standards in April. “While EPA requested and received some information from industry before the proposal, the comments EPA received following the proposal shed new light on a number of key areas, including the scope and coverage of the rules and the way to categorize the various boiler types,” the agency said in a press release.
