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FINAL STANDARDS FOR HAZARDOUS WASTE COMBUSTORS

Release Date: 06/12/98
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FOR RELEASE: FRIDAY, JUNE 12, 1998
FINAL STANDARDS FOR HAZARDOUS WASTE COMBUSTORS

On April 19, 1996, EPA proposed rules to control emissions of hazardous waste air pollutants (HAPs) from hazardous waste-burning incinerators, cement kilns, and lightweight aggregate kilns. EPA today issued a final rule, “Hazardous Waste Combustors; Final Rule -- Part I,” commonly referred to as the MACT Fast Track Rule, addressing four elements of EPA’s April 19, 1996 proposal. This final rule provides an exclusion from RCRA Subtitle C jurisdiction for hazardous waste-derived fuels that are comparable to fossil fuels. EPA notes that the comparable fuels exclusion is promulgated under non-Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments authority and is not federally enforceable in an authorized state until the state has adopted equivalent (or more stringent) standards under its authorized laws and regulations and those changes have been approved by EPA. The final rule is also amending the RCRA permit modification regulations for hazardous waste combustion units to offer streamlined procedures that will help facility owners and operators meet two compliance concerns -- compliance with their RCRA permits and compliance with the forthcoming maximum achievable control technologies (MACT) standards. By promulgating the revised procedures before the final MACT standard, EPA hopes to provide ample time for states to develop comparable standards and obtain EPA authorization. In addition, this rule adopts a requirement that affected sources must prepare and submit for public comment a notification identifying the facility’s intentions and strategy to comply with the final MACT rule. Sources must also hold at least one informal public meeting to facilitate dialogue between the source and the surrounding community. Finally, the rule also identifies the waste minimization and pollution prevention criteria when one-year extensions are needed to install waste minimization measures that reduce the amount of hazardous waste entering combustion feedstreams. The rule is expected to be published in the Federal Register soon. Once published, the Federal Register Notice will be available through the Internet via EPA’s home page at: www.epa.gov under the Rules and Regulations icon. For additional information or to order paper copies of the Federal Register Notice, call the RCRA Hotline at 1-800-424-9346 or
703-412-9810.

R-75 ###