Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created the first consolidated air pollution regulation. This innovative final rule combines 16 existing federal air rules applying to synthetic organic chemical manufacturers, significantly reducing monitoring, record-keeping and reporting burdens for industry— without reducing any environmental protection. Today’s regulation is voluntary: manufacturers can continue to do what they do now by complying with up to 16 rules separately, or choose to comply with the new rule. It originated from President Clinton’s initiative to streamline environmental regulations without sacrificing environmental protection.
Like the original rules, the consolidated rule continues to require stringent reductions in emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC) and air toxics. VOCs contribute to the formation of ground level ozone, or smog. Air toxics are pollutants known or suspected to cause cancer or other serious health problems such as birth defects or reproductive effects. Today’s final rule will appear soon in the Federal Register, but is accessible immediately on the Internet at: www.epa.gov/ttn/oarpg.
