FACT SHEET Final Amendments to Air Toxics Standards for Leather Finishing Operations ACTION • On December 21, 2018, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized amendments to the 2002 National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for Leather Finishing Operations. • These minor amendments will enhance the effectiveness of the rule by improving compliance and implementation of existing requirements and by increasing the efficiency of data submissions. • This action includes emission units covered under the NESHAP, including all coating operations; coatings conveyors and transfer equipment; and storage, mixing and waste containers. • On February 27, 2002, EPA issued the final Leather Finishing Operations air toxics emission standards and followed with some minor amendments on February 28, 2005. The rule applies to facilities that produce a variety of products, such as automotive leather, furniture leather, clothing and apparel, and footwear. • Following a residual risk and technology review (RTR) conducted under the Clean Air Act (CAA), with this action, EPA is finalizing: o Revisions to the startup, shutdown and malfunction (SSM) language to be consistent with recent court decisions; and o Requirements for submitting electronic copies of compliance reports, including performance test results. RESIDUAL RISK ASSESSMENT • The CAA requires EPA to assess the risk remaining after application of the final air toxics emission standards. This is known as a residual risk assessment. • Based on the completed risk assessment, available health information and associated uncertainties, EPA determined risks from the Leather Finishing source category are acceptable and provide an ample margin of safety to protect public health. • The maximum individual cancer risk for inhalation for the source category is estimated to be less than 1-in-l million. TECHNOLOGY REVIEW • The CAA requires EPA to assess, review and revise air toxics standards, as necessary, taking into account developments in practices, processes and control technologies. The technology review of the standards for Leather Finishing facilities did not identify any developments that would further reduce Hazardous Air Pollutant (HAP) emissions beyond the original NESHAP. 1 ------- BACKGROUND • The CAA requires EPA to regulate toxic air pollutants, also known as air toxics, from categories of industrial facilities in two phases. • The first phase is "technology-based," where EPA develops standards for controlling the emissions of air toxics from sources in an industry group or "source category." These maximum achievable control technology (MACT) standards are based on emissions levels that are already being achieved by the best-controlled and lower-emitting sources in an industry. • Within 8 years of setting the MACT standards, the CAA directs EPA to assess the remaining health risks from each source category to determine whether the MACT standards protect public health with an ample margin of safety and protect against adverse environmental effects. This second phase is a "risk-based" approach called residual risk. Here, EPA must determine whether more health-protective standards are necessary. • Also, every 8 years after setting MACT standards, the CAA requires EPA to review and revise the standards, if necessary, to account for improvements in air pollution controls and/or prevention. FOR MORE INFORMATION • Interested parties can download a copy of the final rule notice from EPA's website at the following address: https://www.epa.gov/stationary-sources-air-pollution/leather- finishing-operations-national-emission-standards-hazardous. • Today's action and other background information are also available either electronically at https://www.regulations.gov. EPA's electronic public docket and comment system, or in hardcopy at the EPA Docket Center's Public Reading Room. o The Public Reading Room is located at EPA Headquarters Library, room number 3334 in the EPA WJC West Building, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW, Washington, DC. Hours of operation are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday, excluding Federal holidays. o Visitors are required to show photographic identification, pass through a metal detector and sign the EPA visitor log. All visitor materials will be processed through an X-ray machine as well. Visitors will be provided a badge that must be visible at all times. o Materials for this proposed action can be accessed using Docket ID No. EPA-HQ- OAR-2003-0194. 2 ------- |