FACT SHEET

Final Amendments to Air Toxics Standards for
Miscellaneous Coatings Manufacturing

ACTION

•	On February 15, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized
amendments to the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP)
for Miscellaneous Coating Manufacturing (MCM).

•	The MCM source category covers the manufacturing of paints, inks and adhesives that
are intended to be applied to a substrate and consist of a mixture of resins, pigments,
solvents, and/or other additives, where the material is produced by a manufacturing
operation where materials are blended, mixed, diluted, or otherwise formulated.
Coatings do not include materials made in processes where a formulation component is
synthesized by chemical reaction or separation activity and then transferred to another
vessel where it is formulated to produce a material used as a coating, where the
synthesized or separated component is not stored prior to formulation.

•	The MCM source category includes 42 major source facilities.

•	Following the technology review for the NESHAP review conducted under the Clean Air
Act (CAA), EPA is finalizing amendments to address unregulated emissions from the
MCM source category, by setting maximum achievable control technology (MACT)
standards for inorganic hazardous air pollutants (HAP). The final rule:

o Requires facilities with process vessels emitting inorganic HAP emissions, which
consist of particulate matter (PM) emissions from addition of raw materials in
powder form to paint mixing vessels, to demonstrate initial compliance with PM
emissions of 0.014 grains per dry standard cubic foot (gr/dscf) for existing
sources and 0.0079 gr/dscf for new sources,
o Requires facilities to demonstrate ongoing compliance through monitoring of
control devices such as baghouses and fabric filters.

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 MCM facilities did identify a gap in the
regulation of emission sources and EPA is finalizing MACT standards to address this gap.

BACKGROUND

•	The CAA requires EPA to regulate hazardous air pollutants (HAP), 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." For

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major sources, EPA must establish maximum achievable control technology (MACT)
standards. These MACT standards are based on emissions levels that are already being
achieved by the best-controlled and lower-emitting sources in an industry.

•	Within eight 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 eight years after setting MACT standards, the CAA section 112 requires
EPA to review and revise the standards, if necessary, to account for improvements in
air pollution controls, practices, or processes.

•	On August 14, 2020, EPA promulgated the risk and technology review for this standard.
In order to complete the required technology review, EPA is finalizing inorganic HAP
standards for process vessels.

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/miscellaneous-coating-manufacturing-national-emission-standards

•	Today's action and other background information are also available electronically at
https://www.regulations.gov/. EPA's electronic public docket and comment system.

o The Public Reading Room is located at the 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.

•	For further technical information about the rule, contact Angie Carey, EPA's Office of Air
Quality Planning and Standards, at (919) 541-2187 or carey.angela@epa.gov.

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