ems lecture 4 2015

Environmental Management Systems

Key Concepts of Clean Air Act

• Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs)

– Section 112 of Clean Air Act is EPA’s mandate to control hazardous pollutants discharged into the nation’s air

– EPA is required under the amendments to promulgate technology-based limitations for industrial source categories and issue standards for each category

– In addition to a new HAPs program, • a comprehensive program for accidental hazardous

substance release prevention, reporting, and investigation has been established



• Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs)

– The owners/operators of stationary sources have a general duty to identify the hazards of accidental releases• take steps necessary to prevent releases, and

minimize the consequence of accidental release



• National Emission Standards for Air Pollutants– Under the auspices of the CAA and its amendments, EPA

measures, evaluates and reports emissions data with the goal of improving air quality

– EPA also plays an important role in researching new methods of assessing the impact of air pollution emissions on the environment

– Developing new ways to curb these emissions from specific criteria pollutants

– Management of air issues requires a working knowledge of the technology-based national emission standards for both criteria and hazardous air pollutants



• National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP)– The 1990 Clean Air Act (CAA) Amendments established a new

and fairly complex program • to regulate emissions of 188 hazardous air

pollutants (HAPs) from particular industrial sources• to regulate emissions of these HAPs by developing

and promulgating technology-based standards based on the best-performing similar facilities in operation

– NESHAPs established by USEPA are commonly called maximum achievable control technology (MACT) standards



• MACT Determinations– The purpose of the MACT is to protect the public health by

reducing discharges of HAPs from air emission sources – When developing a MACT standard for a particular source

category, • USEPA looks at the current level of emissions

achieved by best-performing similar sources through clean processes, control devices, work practices, or other methods

• These emissions levels set a baseline, often referred to as the "MACT floor" for the new standard



• At a minimum, a MACT standard must achieve, throughout the industry, a level of emissions control that is at least equivalent to the MACT floor



– MACT floor differs for existing sources and new sources– Major sources are sources that emit

– 10 tons per year of any of the listed HAPs, – or 25 tons per year of a mixture of HAPS

• These sources may release HAPs from equipment leaks, when materials are transferred from one location to another, or during discharge through emission stacks or vents

– Area sources are sources that emit • less than 10 tons per year of a single HAP, or less

than 25 tons per year of a combination of HAPs



– MACT standards are designed to reduce HAP emissions to a maximum achievable degree, taking into consideration the cost of reductions and other factors

– The MACT category of controls establishes emissions standards based on technology achievement



– For existing sources, MACT floor must equal that if there are 30 or more existing sources• average current emissions limitations achieved by

the best-performing 12% of sources in the source category,

– If there are fewer than 30 existing sources• the MACT floor must equal the average current

emissions limitation achieved by the best-performing five sources in the category

– For new sources, the MACT floor must equal the current level of emissions control achieved by the best-controlled similar source



– Wherever feasible, USEPA writes the final MACT standard as an emissions limit-a percent reduction in emissions or a concentration limit that regulated sources must achieve

– Emissions limits provide flexibility for industries to determine the most effective ways to comply with the standards

– This limitation will become more stringent over time as control technology improves



• MACT Implementation– The Clean Air Act required USEPA to develop MACT standards

for all major source categories of HAPs according to a schedule listed in the Act

– The schedule is divided into four groups: 2-year, 4-year, 7-year, and 10-year standards

– The2-year group must include at least 40 source categories (1992promulgation)

– the 4-year group must include source categories to bring the total to 25 percent of the list (1994 promulgation)

– the 7-year group must include an additional 25 percent (1997 promulgation)

– the 10-year group must include the remaining 50 percent 2000promulgation)

– All of the 2-year and 4 year standards have been promulgated on schedule


Summary of Clean Water Regulations

• Water quality standards especially those for drinking water are set by the – Indian Council of Medical Research

• The discharge of industrial effluent is regulated by the– Indian Standard Codes and water quality standards



• Legislations to control water pollution are listed below– The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Cess Act, 1977,

amended 1992 : (http://www.envfor.nic.in/legis/water/water7.html)

– The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Cess (Amendment) Act, 2003. http://www.envfor.nic.in/legis/water/wc_act_03.doc

– The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, amended 1988http://www.envfor.nic.in/legis/water/wat1.html

– The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Cess Rules, 1978http://www.envfor.nic.in/legis/water/water8.html

http://www.envfor.nic.in/legis/water/water7.html

http://www.envfor.nic.in/legis/water/wc_act_03.doc

http://www.envfor.nic.in/legis/water/wat1.html




– The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Rules, 1975http://www.envfor.nic.in/legis/water/water2.html

– Central Board for the Prevention and Control of Water Pollution (Procedure for Transaction of Business) Rules, 1975 amended 1976 http://www.envfor.nic.in/legis/water/water3.html

• Full Information about Acts, Rules, and notification for water pollution is given in following websitehttp://www.envfor.nic.in/legis/legis.html#A



http://www.envfor.nic.in/legis/legis.html

ems lecture 4 2015

Documents