FACT SHEET Final Amendments to Air Toxics Standards for Integrated Iron and Steel Manufacturing Facilities ACTION • On May 4, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized amendments to the 2003 (amended 2006) National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for Integrated Iron and Steel Manufacturing Facilities. • The source category includes all facilities engaged in the production of steel from iron ore and includes the processes of sinter production, iron production, steel production and related processes (such as hot metal transfer and desulfurization). • Following a residual risk and technology review (RTR) conducted under the Clean Air Act (CAA), EPA determined that risks from the source category are acceptable and that no new cost-effective controls are available. The agency is not making any changes to the standards based on the results of the RTR. • To address a 2005 partial grant of a reconsideration petition from Sierra Club, EPA is finalizing an emission limit for mercury. Facilities can comply with the final mercury limit with any of the following options: o Conducting stack testing of their basic oxygen process furnace and related units and calculating the amount of mercury per ton of scrap processed. o Certifying that facilities purchase scrap metal from vendors who participate in the National Vehicle Mercury Switch Recovery Program or another EPA- approved program. Automobile switches are the main source of mercury in scrap metal. o Using scrap not likely to contain automobile scrap. • EPA is also finalizing amendments to enhance the effectiveness of the rule by improving compliance with federal air emissions standards and increasing efficiency of data submissions. o Revised requirements for periods of startup, shutdown and malfunction to be consistent with recent court decisions. o Addition of electronic reporting requirements for compliance reports and performance tests. RESIDUAL RISK ASSESSMENT • The CAA requires EPA to assess the risk remaining after implementation of the original technology-based air toxics emissions standards. This is known as a residual risk assessment. • The maximum individual cancer risk for inhalation based on allowable emissions for the source category is estimated to be less than 100-in-l million. • Chronic inhalation noncancer risks for actual and allowable emissions were below a hazard index of 1. A hazard index of 1 or lower means air toxics are unlikely to cause adverse noncancer health effects over a lifetime of exposure. 1 ------- • Based on the completed risk assessment, available health information and associated uncertainties, EPA determined risks from the Integrated Iron and Steel Manufacturing Facilities source category to be acceptable and that the NESHAP provides an ample margin of safety to protect public health. 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 the Integrated Iron and Steel Manufacturing Facilities source category did not identify any developments that would further reduce air toxics emissions beyond the original NESHAP. BACKGROUND • The CAA requires EPA to regulate hazardous 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 prevention practices and technologies. 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/integrated- iron-and-steel-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. • For further technical information about the rule, contact Dr. Donna Lee Jones at the EPA's Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, at (919) 541-5251 or at jones.donnalee@epa.gov. 2 ------- |