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First Clean Air Act Residual Risk Standards

Release Date: 07/29/2004
Contact Information:


Cynthia Bergman, 202-564-9828 / [email protected]


(07/29/04) EPA today proposed the first standards ever issued for any industry under the residual risk provisions of the Clean Air Act. These provisions were intended by Congress to reduce, if necessary, any health risks remaining after a category of industrial sources has fully implemented EPA technology-based emissions standards for toxic air pollutants. This first set of residual risk standards will apply to coke oven batteries, which convert coal to coke to produce iron at steel mills and foundries (a battery consists of a group of ovens connected by common walls). This proposal would apply to coke oven emissions from nine batteries at five coke plants throughout the country. In 1993, EPA issued technology-based emissions standards for these batteries, requiring them to utilize maximum achievable control technology (MACT) to reduce toxic air emissions. Since most of these batteries are already reducing emissions beyond the 1993 MACT requirements and are achieving the proposed emission limits, today’s proposal will have little economic impact on the coke industry. EPA will accept public comment on the proposed amendments for 60 days after publication in the Federal Register. To read a copy of the proposal and a fact sheet summarizing the action, visit: https://www.epa.gov/airlinks/airlinks3.html