Proposed Boiler Rules Are Unachievable, ACC Says

EPA’s proposed regulations for limiting emissions of toxic air pollutants from industrial boilers and process heaters are “far more stringent than necessary” to protect public health and the environment, says the American Chemistry Council, an industry trade group. In comments filed with the agency, ACC also expresses concern that EPA is “significantly underestimating” the costs the rules would impose on industry. ACC argues that EPA’s proposed standards for boilers and process heaters are “fundamentally flawed” because the agency analyzed emissions of various pollutants individually rather than evaluating the facilities’ emissions as a whole. “EPA cherry-picks the best data in setting each standard, without regard for sources,” says Mike Walls, ACC’s vice president of technical and regulatory affairs. The result, he says, is a set of “unachievable standards” that do not reflect the “actual performance of real sources.” EPA estimates that the total capital cost of complying with the new regulations will be $9.5 billion. But ACC believes the figure will exceed $20 billion for industry overall, with $3.8 billion in costs for chemical manufacturers.