Advocacy

Topics include EPA proposed amendments to MSW combustors, EPA draft emissions factors for MSW landfills, and webinars hosted by the U.S. Global Change Research Program.

EPA Proposed Amendments to MSW Combustors

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing amendments to the new source performance standards (NSPS) and emission guidelines (EG) for large municipal solid waste (MSW) combustors. This would apply to units that have the capacity to combust more than 250 tons per day of municipal solid waste.

The amendments propose to reduce emissions of nine pollutants by approximately 14,000 tons per year. According to the EPA, the proposed standards would apply to 57 facilities with 152 units.

The regulations are not yet posted on the Federal Register and not yet open for comment. EPA will accept comments for 60 days after publication in the Federal Register, under Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2017-0183. More information can be found here.

SWANA may decide to submit comments on these proposed regulations. If you have any feedback, please contact Kristyn Oldendorf at koldendorf@swana.org and/or reach out to the Waste Conversion and Energy Recovery Technical Division (WCER).

EPA Draft Emissions Factors for MSW Landfills

EPA drafted new emission factors for AP-42 Chapter 2, Section 4 - Municipal Solid Waste Landfills. The EPA publishes AP-42, Compilation of Air Pollutant Emissions Factors from Stationary Sources, to provide emissions factors for over 200 air pollution source categories, which are specific industry sectors. The EPA is offering a 45-day public review period that will end February 26, 2024. Comments on the draft factors can be sent to: efcomments@epa.gov.

SWANA will be preparing comments on these proposed regulations. In particular, there are concerns about the about the proposed flare emissions factors and the ability for current flare technology to meet the proposed limits.

If you have any feedback, please contact Kristyn Oldendorf at koldendorf@swana.org and the Landfill Gas and Biogas Technical Division.

SWANA Comments on U.S. EPA’s draft Achieving Health and Environmental Protection Through EPA’s Meaningful Involvement Policy

SWANA submitted comments on this draft policy which provides guidance to EPA staff on how to engage the public. The comments support many of the EPA’s proposed strategies and provide recommendations on how the EPA can further strengthen its commitment to meaningful public outreach.

Thank you to members who provided feedback to inform the comments. Additional information, including a copy of the comments submitted, can be found on SWANA’s website: SWANA Comments on EPA Meaningful Involvement Policy.

U.S. Global Change Research Program Webinars

The U.S. Global Change Research Program is hosting a series of public engagement webinars on the Fifth National Climate Assessment (globalchange.gov), also known as NCA5. The series runs from January 11 through March 15 with each webinar covering a particular chapter of the NCA5.