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November 18, 2004
EPA Removes Ethylene Glycol Monobutyl Ether from Hazardous Air Pollutant List
After extensively reviewing the levels of EGBE in the air Americans
breathe and the health and environmental impacts associated with those
levels, EPA has concluded that potential outdoor exposures to EGBE may
not reasonably be anticipated to cause human health or environmental
problems. EGBE is used in hydraulic fluids and in water-based coatings
for various industries including can manufacturers. It is also used in
vinyl and acrylic paints and varnishes and as a solvent for varnishes,
enamels, spray lacquers, dry cleaning compounds, textiles, and cosmetics.
This action creates incentives for industry to use EGBE instead of other
more toxic solvents.
Click on the links below to read the text of the final rule and a fact
sheet summarizing the action:
- Final rule (PDF,
31 pp., 46 KB)
- Fact sheet (HTML version)
- Fact sheet (PDF,
3 pp., 20 KB)
- EPA's Evaluation of EGBE and Cancer (final version to be released shortly)
(PDF, 152 pp., 912 KB)
- External Peer Review EGBE (PDF,
49 pp., 210 KB)
- Timeline (HTML version)
- Timeline (PDF,
1 pp., 8 KB)
November 18, 2004
EPA Exempts Tertiary Butyl Acetate as a Volatile Organic Compound
Today's action allows, but does not require, states to remove regulatory
controls on t-butyl acetate. Exclusion of this compound as a VOC will
help states focus on controlling emissions of those pollutants that are
demonstrated to be ozone precursors. TBAC is a chemical that can be used
as a solvent and is currently used as a reagent to make pharmaceuticals,
pesticides, and other products. This action will encourage industry to
use TBAC as a substitute for more reactive compounds, generating public
health benefits by helping to decrease ambient ozone levels.
Click on the links below to read the text of the final rule and a fact
sheet summarizing the action:
November 18, 2004
EPA Excludes 4 Volatile Organic Compounds from Controls
EPA is excluding HFE-7000, L-15281, HFC 227ea and HCOOCH3 from control
as a VOC. Scientific evidence demonstrates that these compounds are "negligibly
reactive," meaning they contribute little or nothing to the formation
of ground-level ozone. Exempting these compounds will allow states
to focus on controlling emissions of other compounds known to contribute
to the formation of ground-level ozone. EPA expects the exemption to
result in a drop in the use of more reactive and/or toxic chemicals
as they are replace with these four compounds. This will lead to public
health benefits due to decreased ambient ozone levels.
Click on the links below to read the text of the final rule and a
fact sheet summarizing the action:
July 1, 2004
Regulations for Some Types of Gas Turbines on
Hold as EPA Weighs Additional Emissions Information
EPA will delay hazardous air pollutant regulations for some types of
natural gas-fired turbines, while the Agency considers further information
on emissions and a pending proposal to remove these sources from regulation.
With this final action today, EPA has stayed the requirements for new turbines
in the lean premix gas-fired turbine and diffusion flame gas-fired turbine
subcategories. EPA has not yet made a final decision to delist these subcategories
from the regulations. The stay is an interim step that allows EPA additional
time to consider the Gas Turbines Association's petition to remove these
turbines from air toxics control. The stay will avoid unnecessary expenditures
on installation and testing of emission controls, which will not be required
if these subcategories of turbines are delisted for regulation. After reviewing
the industry's request, and evaluating internal analyses, EPA determined
that these subcategories of turbines meet the health and environmental
risk criteria for delisting as required by the Clean Air Act. EPA proposed
that delisting on April 7, 2004.
Click on the links below to read the text of the final rule and a fact
sheet summarizing the action:
May 21, 2004
Air Innovations Conference: Integrated and Innovative
Approaches for Improving Air Quality
EPA is sponsoring a conference on integrated and innovative approaches
for improving air quality August 10-12 in Chicago, IL. Information will
be provided on approaches with immediate applicability as well as promising
new innovative ideas.
To learn more and to register for the conference, click on the link below:
Air Innovations Conference. 
May 18, 2004
EPA Extends Deadline for Action on North
Carolina’s Petition to Reduce Upwind Air Emissions
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is extending by 6 months the deadline for final
action on a clean air petition from North Carolina filed under section 126 of the Clean Air Act. The petition requests that EPA make a finding that emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) from large electric generating units in 13 states are contributing significantly to fine particulate matter and/or 8-hour ozone nonattainment and maintenance problems in North Carolina. The affected states are: Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Click on the links below to read:
The extension notice (PDF,
16pp., 55KB)
A fact sheet summarizing this action
(PDF, 2pp., 37KB)
Press Announcement
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