Method 16C Approved for Total Reduced Sulfur (TRS) Emission Testing
Posted: August 13th, 2012
On July 30, 2012, U.S. EPA announced that Method 16C is now an acceptable method for the measurement of total reduced sulfur (TRS) emissions. One might ask, what is Method 16C…
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Deadline Extended for Promulgation of 1-Hour SO2 NAAQS
Posted: August 8th, 2012
U.S. EPA announced in Federal Register Vol. 77, No. 150 published on August 3, 2012 that it is using its authority under the Clean Air Act (CAA) to extend by up to one (1) year the deadline for promulgating the initial area…
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U.S. EPA also Proposing Secondary Visibility NAAQS With Updated Annual Primary PM2.5 NAAQS
Posted: August 2nd, 2012
In July, ALL4 posted a blog regarding U.S. EPA’s June 14, 2012 proposal to strengthen the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for fine particle (PM2.5) pollution. As part of the proposed rule…
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4 Rules Survey Says?
Posted: July 30th, 2012
The results are in! Last month we asked our readers to vote about when we would see the final Boiler MACT, CISWI, and NHSM* rules from U.S. EPA. With only two days left in July, it looks like most of our readers were…
Read articlePennsylvania Proposes Amendments to Particulate Matter Testing Requirements
Posted: July 16th, 2012
The Pennsylvania Environmental Quality Board (EQB) has proposed to amend 25 Pa. Code Chapters 121 and 139 with the purpose of updating and clarifying the sampling and testing methods used to demonstrate compliance with particulate matter (PM) emissions limits.
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U.S. EPA Adds New Exclusion to the Definition of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
Posted: July 9th, 2012
On June 22, 2012, a notice was published informing that the U.S. EPA revised its definition of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to exclude 1,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene.
Read articleU.S. EPA Proposes Tighter Annual PM2.5 NAAQS and a New Secondary PM2.5 NAAQS
Posted: July 9th, 2012
U.S. EPA has proposed to tighten the annual NAAQS for PM2.5 because more studies have linked health issues with low levels of PM2.5 than were previously thought.
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How the SO2 NAAQS Came Crashing Down On Us
Posted: June 27th, 2012
The sulfur dioxide (SO2) landscape looked very different in 2008 than it does today. At that time, the annual, 24-hour, and 3-hour National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for SO2 had been in place for a long time. Except for […]
Read articleWhen Will We See the Final Boiler MACT and CISWI Rules from U.S. EPA?
Posted: June 25th, 2012
Rumor has it that we could see the final 4 Rules (i.e., the Major and Area Source Boiler MACT, CISWI*, and NHSM* rules) by the end of June. U.S. EPA sent final versions of the rules to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in mid-May for review, which can normally take 90 days.
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The RICE MACT Amendments Remind Me Of…Finding $20 in an Old Pair of Pants
Posted: June 18th, 2012
What does finding $20 in an old pair of pants have to do with air quality? Good question. Nothing really, except that U.S. EPA’s recent revision of the RICE MACT (i.e., 40 CFR Part 63, Subpart ZZZZ), boosting the allowable time that emergency RICE can operate under a demand response program from 60 to 100 hours per year, reminds me somewhat of finding a crisp twenty in an old pair of slacks.
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