[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 128 (Wednesday, July 5, 1995)] [Proposed Rules] [Pages 34938-34940] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 95-16423] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 40 CFR Parts 63 and 430 [FRL-5253-8] RIN 2060-AD03 and 2040-AB53 Effluent Limitations Guidelines, Pretreatment Standards, and New Source Performance Standards: Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Category; National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Source Category: Pulp and Paper Production AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice of data availability. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: On December 17, 1993, EPA proposed standards to reduce the discharge of water pollutants and emissions of hazardous air pollutants from the pulp, paper, and paperboard industry (58 FR 66078). This action announces the availability of additional data and information that EPA will consider for the promulgation of effluent limitations guidelines and standards and air emission standards for this industry. DATES: Comments are not solicited at this time. They will be solicited at a later date. ADDRESSES: The data being announced today have been placed in the EPA Water Docket at EPA Headquarters at Waterside Mall, room L102, 401 M Street SW., Washington, DC 20460, telephone (202) 260-3027. The Docket staff requests that interested parties call for an appointment before visiting the Docket. A reasonable fee may be charged for copying. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Debra Nicoll, Engineering and Analysis Division (4303), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M Street SW., Washington, DC 20460, telephone number (202)260-5386. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Overview On December 17, 1993 (58 FR 66078), EPA proposed standards to reduce the discharge of toxic, conventional, and nonconventional pollutants and emissions of hazardous air pollutants from the pulp, paper, and paperboard industry. On March 17, 1994 (59 FR 12567), EPA published a correction notice to the proposed rules and extended the comment period, which closed on April 17, 1994. In the preamble to the proposed rules, EPA solicited data on various issues and questions related to the proposed effluent standards. The Agency has received new information on some of these topics and has added new information to the Docket. Today's notice announces the availability of new information in the Water Docket for the Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Point Source Category. Subsequent sections of today's notice summarize the information that has been added to the Water Docket. The Water Docket also houses the public comments that EPA received on the proposed rulemaking. To assist reviewers in finding the public comments and the materials announced today, a Users Guide for the record is available in the Water Docket. The materials announced today appear in the record starting at Section 18. EPA is still reviewing the data announced today and therefore does not publish any analyses in this notice. Accordingly, the Agency is not soliciting comment on this notice or the new data at this time. EPA will publish its analyses, including any new regulatory options, if appropriate, in a subsequent notice. At that time, EPA will establish a 30-day comment period to solicit comment on the new information and new analyses. The Agency's intention in making the additional data available in the Docket at this time is to provide the public as much time as possible to review the new information. After making more progress in reviewing the data, the Agency will then request comment on the data and the Agency's findings. EPA received (and welcomed) considerable data after the close of the comment period on April 18, 1994. All comments submitted after that date will be considered as though timely filed and are part of the administrative record. There is no need for commenters to resubmit data or comments already sent to EPA. The Agency issued a previous notice of data availability on February 22, 1995 (60 FR 9813). In that notice, EPA [[Page 34939]] announced the availability of new data related to the proposed air emissions standards; that new data is located in Air Docket A-92-40. EPA did not solicit comment on that data in the notice. EPA will seek comment on that information in a subsequent notice. EPA Sampling Activities Following the December 1993 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, EPA conducted a sampling and analysis program to collect additional data characterizing the performance of bleached papergrade kraft and papergrade sulfite mills employing advanced pulping and bleaching technologies. Wastewater samples from bleached kraft mills were collected at Louisiana-Pacific Corporation (Samoa, California); Crestbrook Forest Industries, Ltd. (Skookumchuck, British Columbia, Canada); Stora Billerud AB--Gruvon Mill (Grums, Sweden); and Enocell Oy (Uimaharju, Finland). The pulping and bleaching technologies evaluated at these kraft mills are: 1) oxygen delignification in conjunction with elemental chlorine-free (ECF) bleaching; 2) ECF bleaching in addition to both oxygen delignification and extended delignification; and 3) totally chlorine-free (TCF) bleaching. Wastewater samples for both ECF and TCF bleaching at a papergrade sulfite mill were collected at Stracel SA in Strasbourg, France. The information relating to these sampling activities that has been added to the Docket includes: Pre-sampling site visit reports; Sampling and Analysis Plans; Analytical laboratory reports; Data quality review memoranda; and Correspondence and telephone contact reports. AF&PA/NCASI Industry Surveys In response to several of the data solicitations described in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, five separate surveys were developed and administered by the National Council of the Paper Industry for Air and Stream Improvement (NCASI) on behalf of the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA). Completed surveys were provided to EPA for consideration in developing the final regulations. Each survey is described below. Except as noted, the survey data are now available in the Docket. a. Data Request for Secondary Fiber Non-Deink Mills. This data request collected information about water use, wastewater treatment, and wastewater recycle and reuse at mills that make products from non- deinked secondary fiber. The survey sought to evaluate the technical feasibility of zero discharge (100% wastewater recycle) as a basis for new source performance standards by identifying characteristics, if any, distinguishing zero discharge mills from mills not currently achieving zero discharge. NCASI mailed the questionnaires to mills with production comprised of a high percentage (at least 80%) of non-deinked secondary fiber and several other mills that previously claimed they achieve 100% recycle. NCASI forwarded the completed survey forms to EPA. About half of the mills responding claimed the survey data as confidential business information. Survey forms for the remaining mills are available for public review in the Docket. b. Recovery Furnace Capacity Survey. The survey objective was to compile a detailed inventory of the recovery furnaces operated by the industry. Information requested included furnace capacity data, current operating rates, and a history of the modifications and capacity upgrades which have been made to each recovery furnace. This information was collected to help resolve the disparity between AF&PA and EPA cost estimates for the proposed rule. NCASI distributed the questionnaires to companies with bleached and unbleached kraft mills and requested information on the recovery furnaces. Survey data for over 100 mills have been provided to EPA. Survey data not claimed as confidential business information have been placed in the public Docket. c. Best Management Practices Questionnaire. NCASI conducted this survey to collect general information regarding the existing infrastructure (e.g., tanks, curbing) and control systems in place at mills for preventing and controlling pulping liquor leaks and spills. The survey also requested information about the costs associated with implementing spill prevention and control programs. Survey forms were sent to a group of bleached, unbleached and dissolving kraft mills; dissolving and papergrade sulfite mills; semi-chemical mills; and non- wood chemical pulp mills. d. Capital and Operating Cost Requests. The Capital and Operating Cost Request collected engineering cost information for process technologies forming the basis of the proposed effluent limitations guidelines and standards. NCASI distributed the surveys to several mills that recently (1) installed extended delignification, oxygen delignification, or pressure screens; (2) upgraded brown stock washers; (3) increased chlorine dioxide capacity; or (4) upgraded recovery furnace capacity. The objective was to collect cost information that could be used to modify, if appropriate, cost curves used by EPA to estimate the costs of complying with the proposed regulations or other control options. Information not claimed as confidential business information are available for review in the Docket. e. Operating Data Requests for Recently Installed Pulping and Bleaching Technologies. This survey was developed to collect information from mills that have made pulping and bleaching process changes in the last three years. These data were collected to update the status of the process technologies in place at the mills to better evaluate industry comments and revise mill-specific compliance cost estimates, if appropriate. NCASI distributed the questionnaires and provided the results to EPA. Information not claimed as confidential business information is available for review in the Docket. Other Data Added to the Docket EPA has collected and received other data since proposal in addition to that described above. EPA and its contractors have visited several mills to further assess controls considered at the time of proposal and to collect information to fully evaluate comments and data submitted by the industry and other interested parties. EPA has met with industry representatives and other interested parties, and has participated in several technical conferences since the proposal. Many of these activities are documented by materials now included in the Docket. These materials include site visit reports, meeting reports, correspondence with industry and other interested parties, and technical literature. EPA is also adding to the Docket data and other information characterizing performance, costs, and technical feasibility of regulatory control options. For example, EPA has received and added to the Docket effluent performance data from several mills that use complete chlorine dioxide substitution, which is key to the industry's suggested technology basis for papergrade kraft mills. The industry- suggested alternative was described in the proposal at 58 FR 66078, 66173 (December 17, 1993), but was not fully analyzed at that time due to insufficient data. The Agency is now reviewing the new data and will give serious consideration to the industry's [[Page 34940]] alternative as a technology basis for setting limitations and standards. EPA is also adding to the Docket information that describes changes to the computer implementation of the statistical methodology used to develop effluent limitations. The Agency plans to modify the computer implementation that was used for the proposal. While the statistical methodology remains unchanged, the revised computer program provides more reliable results in an interim step used to calculate the limitations. A memorandum describing the change is available in the Docket. Dated: June 26, 1995. Robert Perciasepe, Assistant Administrator for Water. [FR Doc. 95-16423 Filed 7-5-95; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6560-50-P