Page 448 - Fundamentals of Air Pollution 3E

396 24. The U.S. Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990

The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 put a heavy burden on the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state agencies to permit and
oversee compliance with the Clean Air Act (CAA). Table 24-1 lists the major
deadlines affecting industry under the 1990 amendments. Some of the
deadlines have already passed without any "action" being promulgated
and finalized. The other deadlines may also slip to a later date. Almost no
statutory "hammers" have been included in CAAA90.

TABLE 24-1

Deadlines Impacting Industry under the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990
Date Action
November 15, 1991 EPA must issue guidelines for cost effectiveness of emission control
options.
November 15, 1991 EPA must promulgate a list of categories and subcategories of major
sources and area sources of listed hazardous air pollutants.
November 15, 1991 EPA must promulgate permitting regulations.
May 15, 1992 EPA must issue New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for any
solid waste incineration unit not covered by another deadline for
issuance of such standards.
November 15, 1993 EPA must issue volatile organic compound (VOC) emission control
technique guidelines for categories that make the most significant
contributions to the formation of ozone pollution, including Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) permitted treatment, storage
and disposal (TSD) facilities. Existing control technique guidelines
must also be reviewed by this date.
November 15, 1993 EPA is required to identify alternative control technologies for all
categories of stationary sources of VOC or NO X that have the potential
to emit 25 tons per year or more of either pollutant.
November 15, 1993 EPA is required to issue guidance on reasonably available control
measures (RACM) and best available control measures (BACM) for
other sources of particulate matter emissions.
November 15, 1993 States must submit permit programs to EPA for approval.
November 15, 1993 EPA must issue NSPS for solid waste incineration units combusting
industrial or commercial waste. (See May 15, 1992 action.)
November 15, 1994 Risk Assessment and Management Commission must report to
Congress on the appropriate use and policy implications of risk
assessment and risk management in various regulatory programs.
November 15, 1995 If necessary, EPA is required to promulgate regulations to control the
atmospheric deposition of hazardous air pollutant to surface and
coastal waters.
November 15, 1996 VOC emissions must be reduced by at least 15% from 1990 levels in
ozone nonattainment areas.
November 15, 2000 EPA is required to promulgate standards for all listed categories and
subcategories of sources of hazardous air pollutants.