On December 21 (2012), the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it has finalized revised air emissions standards for boilers and certain incinerators. The EPA announcement seemed to emphasize a “business-friendly” approach in the new rules, noting that 99 percent of the approximately 1.5 million boilers in the US will not be covered or can meet the new standards with periodic maintenance or regular tune-ups. (The total number of existing boilers subject to regulation will be about 200,000.)
Originally published in March 2011, the rule was met by an angry response from regulated industries, arguing that the proposed emission limits were unrealistic. EPA agreed to reconsider after further review.
The rules apply to boilers and process heaters that burn fuels such as natural gas, fuel oil, biomass (wood), coal, or other fuel gas, but not those that burn solid waste (unless they are exempt from emissions standards for incinerators). Separate rule revisions apply to boilers at major sources and those at area sources of hazardous air pollutants (unlike area sources, major sources have the potential to emit more than 10 tons per year of a single hazardous air pollutant, or HAP, or more than 25 tons per year of total HAPs).