EPA Proposes Changes to "Once-in-Always-in" for Hazardous Air Pollutants
Jan. 03 - The EPA is proposing changes to the "once-in-always-in" policy for major sources of hazardous air pollutant emissions. Under the proposed changes, a major source may become an area source at any time by limiting its potential to emit for hazardous air pollutants (HAP) to below the major source thresholds of 10 tons per year (tpy) of any single HAP or 25 tpy of any
combination of HAPs. The proposal would end the "once-in-always-in" policy that has been applied to MACT facilities. The proposed rule appeared in the Federal Register on January 3, 2007. The EPA will accept comments on the proposed rule changes for the next 60 days. More...
Task Force Recommends Greater Scrutiny and Regulation of TSD Facilities
Dec. 18 - Gov. Easley's state task force has completed final recommendations in the aftermath of the October chemical fire at the EQ hazardous waste facility in Apex, southwest of Raleigh. The recommendations call for greater scrutiny and regulation of hazardous waste treatment, storage, and disposal (TSD) facilities, the sharing of information on facility hazards with the local community, and the inclusion of local fire officials during state environmental compliance inspections. The state task force submitted its final recommendations on December 12th, followed by a press release from Gov. Easley's office on December 15th. (See Press Release.) One of the key questions raised after the emergency in October was why a licensed hazardous waste facility was unable to provide more timely information to emergency responders during the first several days of the accident. (See DENR Link to EQ Accident Response.) In addition to calling for more information-sharing with the local community and emergency response officials, the findings call for information on facility chemical hazards to be stored offsite for quick access during emergencies. Gov. Easley has praised the efforts of both state and local officials in handling the chemical fire and public evacuation at the Apex facility.
Dec. 17 - The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) is conducting a detailed investigation in the aftermath of the chemical fire at the hazardous waste facility in Apex, NC. The CSB, which is an independent federal agency charged with investigating industrial chemical accidents, deployed a team to North Carolina immediately after the accident scene was stabilized in October. The agency's board members are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. CSB News Releases...
Supreme Court Tackles Greenhouse Gas Debate
Nov. 29 - The U.S. Supreme Court began hearing arguments today on whether the EPA should be required to treat greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, as air pollutants that require regulation. The court is expected to hand down its decision in 2007. ABA Link...
Fine Particle Pollution Getting More Attention As Forsyth County sees improvements in dealing with ozone pollution, more emphasis is being placed on reducing particulate air pollution. The effort to shift more attention to soot or fine particulate in the air is discussed in an article by Jim Sparks in the Winston-Salem Journal in August. Winston-Salem Journal Article...
EPA Lowers Daily Standard for Fine Particles to 35 ug/m3 In September the EPA lowered the daily standard for fine particulate matter from 65 micrograms per cubic meter to 35 micrograms per cubic meter, while the annual standard for fine particulate and the daily standard for PM10 remain unchanged. The proposed changes first appeared in the Federal Register on January 17, 2006. (See FR for Jan. 17, 2006.) The advanced notice of proposed rulemaking for the transition to new or revised standards was published on February 9, 2006.
