On June 8, EPA issued a pre-publication of the finalized amendments to the 2004 National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for the Plywood and Composite Wood Products (PCWP) source category. The amendments are considered minor and include: requiring testing every five years to improve performance of control technologies, other than biofilters (already required to test every two years); clarifying that the standards are applicable during periods of startup, shutdown and malfunction; incorporating work practices for certain startup and shutdown events based on site-specific procedures; and requiring electronic reporting of performance test results and semiannual reports. With the risk and technology review (RTR) completed, EPA concludes “that the standards continue to provide an ample margin of safety to protect public health and the environment.” A fact sheet and pre-publication version of the final rule are available online.
CPA continues to work with the AF&PA PCWP coalition group that will be reviewing the amendments in detail and issuing summary information as appropriate. It is anticipated that the final rule will be published in the Federal Register within the next two weeks. See PCWP Final Rule
