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PA AIR TOXIC RULE FOR ELASTOMER PRODUCTION

Release Date: 07/19/96
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PA AIR TOXIC RULE FOR ELASTOMER PRODUCTION

FOR RELEASE: FRIDAY, JULY 19, 1996

EPA INCORPORATES COMMON SENSE PROVISION IN NEW AIR TOXIC RULE FOR ELASTOMER PRODUCTION

As part of EPA's flexible, common sense approach to environmental regulation, the Agency today announced a final rule significantly reducing emissions of styrene, toluene and other air toxics from the manufacture of certain elastomers. Elastomers are elastic substances used to produce a wide variety of synthetic rubber products, including tires, hoses, belts, footware, adhesives, caulks, wire insulation and floor tiles. The regulation, which will affect 36 existing facilities nationwide and any new plants built in the future, would cut air toxic emissions by about 6400 tons annually -- a 50 percent reduction from current levels. The rule contains a common sense principle called "emissions averaging," that will allow facilities flexibility in deciding which emission sources to control. Plants may find it more cost-effective to overcontrol certain emission sources and undercontrol others, the overall result being greater emission reduction at less cost. Today's action also demonstrates EPA's commitment to making pollution prevention an integral part of regulatory actions whenever possible. As an example of one of these pollution prevention techniques, elastomer plants will meet emissions limits by capturing and recycling back into the manufacturing process hazardous air pollutants which formerly were allowed to be released into the atmosphere. Today's air toxics rule for elastomer production marks a milestone in the air toxics program. EPA has now met the requirements of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments to issue final air toxics rules for the first 25 percent of industrial categories targeted for regulation. Together, all these rules, including today's regulation for elastomer production, are expected to reduce, from over 45 different industries, many different toxic air pollutants by about one million tons annually, as well as smog-causing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by over 1.5 million tons a year. EPA will issue regulations reducing air toxics from over 170 different industries by the year 2000. Today's final rule will appear soon in the Federal Register, but will be computer-accessible immediately through EPA's electronic bulletin board system, the Technology Transfer Network (TTN)at 919-541-5742 (backup number for access problems is 919-541-5384) under "Recently Signed Rules" on the TTN's Clean Air Act Amendments Bulletin Board. For further technical information on the proposal, contact Robert Rosensteel at 919-541- 5608.

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