On December 2, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released reproposed standards for industrial boilers (the Boiler MACT rule), commercial and industrial solid waste incinerators (CISWI), and revisions to the list of non-hazardous secondary materials (the Solid Waste definition).

The new standards adjust emissions limits for waste-burning cement kilns and for energy recovery units.
EPA is also proposing revisions to its final rule, which identified the types of non-hazardous secondary materials that can be burned in boilers or solid waste incinerators. In a statement released on December 2, the Agency concedes that this “reconsideration arose from concerns expressed regarding the regulatory criteria for a non-hazardous secondary material to be considered a legitimate, non-waste fuel, and how to demonstrate compliance with those criteria.”

To address these concerns, EPA claims that the “proposed revisions provide clarity on what types of secondary materials are considered non-waste fuels, and greater flexibility.”

EPA will accept public comment on these standards for 60 days following publication in the Federal Register.

The proposals are in pre-publication form and have not been published in the Federal Register as of today. Final reconsideration is expected by spring 2012.