Proposed Amendments to Air Toxics Standards for Leather Finishing Operations: Fact Sheet ACTION • On February 28, 2018, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed to amend the 2002 Leather Finishing Operations National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP). • EPA is proposing these minor amendments to enhance the effectiveness of the rule by improving compliance with existing requirements and by increasing the efficiency of data submissions. • Hazardous air pollutants, also known as air toxics, are known to cause serious health and environmental effects. The Clean Air Act (CAA) directs EPA to regulate emissions of 187 listed air toxics. • 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, the EPA issued the final Leather Finishing Operations NESHAP 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 conducted under the Clean Air Act (CAA), the EPA is proposing to: o Revise the startup, shutdown and malfunction language to be consistent with the most recent court decisions, o Require facilities to submit electronic copies of compliance reports, including performance tests. • EPA will accept comment on the proposed amendments for 45 days after publication in the Federal Register. RESIDUAL RISK ASSESSMENT • The CAA requires the 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, the EPA determined risks from the leather finishing sector to be 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. 1 ------- TECHNOLOGY REVIEW • The CAA requires the EPA to assess, review and revise air toxics standards as necessary, taking into account developments in practices, processes and control technologies since the standards were first issued. • The technology assessment for leather finishing did not identify any technological developments to reduce emissions of hazardous air pollutants. BACKGROUND • The CAA requires the EPA to regulate hazardous air pollutants from categories of industrial facilities in two phases. • The first phase is "technology-based," where the EPA develops standards for controlling the emissions of air toxics from sources in an industry group (or "source category"). These NESHAP establish maximum achievable control technology (MACT) standards which are based on emissions levels that are already being achieved by the best- controlled and lower-emitting sources in an industry group. • Within 8 years of setting MACT standards, the CAA directs the 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, the EPA must determine whether more health-protective standards are necessary. • Also, every 8 years after setting MACT standards, the CAA requires that the EPA review and revise the standards, if necessary, to account for improvements in air pollution controls and/or prevention. FOR MORE INFORMATION • To download a copy of the proposed rule notice, go to EPA's website at https://www.epa.gov/stationary-sources-air-pollution/leather-finishing-operations- national-emission-standards-hazardous. Today's action notice and other background information are also available either electronically at http://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 Avenue, 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. 2 ------- o Materials for this proposed action can be accessed using Docket ID No. EPA-HQ- 2003-0194. • For further technical information about the rule contact William Schrock, at the EPA's Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, at (919) 541-5032 or schrock.bill@epa.gov. 3 ------- |