[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 41 (Tuesday, March 3, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10378-10379]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-5411]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-5972-9]
Electric Utility Hazardous Air Pollutant Study Final Report to
Congress
AGENCY: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of Document Availability.
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SUMMARY: The Final Report to Congress on the EPA's Electric Utility
Hazardous Air Pollutant Study (hereafter ``Final Report'') has been
completed. This Final Report was prepared by the EPA in response to
section 112(n)(1)(A) of the Clean Air Act as amended in 1990 (hereafter
``the Act''), which required the EPA to submit to Congress the results
of a study of emissions of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) from
electric utility steam generating units (utilities) and on the hazards
to public health reasonably anticipated to occur as a result of these
emissions. Congress directed that the report describe alternative
control strategies for HAP emissions which may warrant regulation.
DATES: The Final Report was transmitted to the Congress on February 24,
1998.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the Final Report will be available from Public
Docket No. A-92-55 at the following address: U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, Air and Radiation Docket and Information Center
(6102), 401 M Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20460. The docket is
located at the above address in room M-1500, Waterside Mall (ground
floor), and may be inspected from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday
through Friday. The Final Report (docket entry A-92-55, I-A-____) is
available for review in the docket center or copies may be mailed on
request from the Air and Radiation Docket and Information Center by
calling (202) 260-7548 or -7549. The FAX number for the Center is (202)
260-4000. A reasonable fee may be charged for copying docket materials.
The final report will also be available on the Technology Transfer
Network (TTN) (see below) and from the National Technical Information
Service (NTIS). The NTIS may be accessed by telephone at (800) 553-6847
or through the Internet at ``http://www.fedworld.gov/ntis/
ntishome.html.''
Docket
Docket No. A-92-55, containing supporting information used in
developing the Final Report, is available for public inspection and
copying as noted above. The docket is an organized file of information
used by the EPA in the development of this Final Report.
Technology Transfer Network
The final report is available electronically on the TTN, one of the
EPA's electronic bulletin boards. The final report is accessible
through the Internet at ``http://www.epa.gov/airlinks.''
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information concerning specific
aspects of this study, contact Mr. William Maxwell [telephone number
(919) 541-5430], Combustion Group, Emission Standards Division (MD-13),
or Mr. Chuck French [telephone number (919) 541-0467], Risk and
Exposure Assessment Group, Air Quality Strategies and Standards
Division (MD-15), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research
Triangle Park, North Carolina 27711.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The final report provides information
regarding the emission, fate, and transport of HAPs from utilities. The
primary components of the report are: (1) A description of the
industry; (2) an analysis of emissions data; (3) an assessment of
hazards and risks due to inhalation exposures to 67 HAPs; (4)
assessments of risks due to multipathway (inhalation plus non-
inhalation) exposures to four HAPs (radionuclides, mercury, arsenic,
and dioxins); and (5) a discussion of alternative control strategies.
The assessment for mercury in the report also includes a description of
emissions, deposition estimates, control technologies, and a dispersion
and fate modeling assessment which includes predicted levels of mercury
in various media (including soil, water, and freshwater fish) based on
modeling from four representative utility plants using hypothetical
scenarios.
Based on available information and current analyses, the EPA
believes that mercury from coal-fired utilities is the HAP of greatest
potential concern and merits additional research and monitoring. There
are uncertainties regarding the extent of risks due to mercury
exposures including those from utility emissions. Further research and
evaluation are needed to gain a better understanding of the risks and
impacts of utility mercury emissions. In addition, further research and
evaluation of potential control technologies and strategies for mercury
are needed.
For a few other HAPs, there also are still some remaining potential
concerns and uncertainties that may need further study. First, the
screening multipathway assessments for dioxins and arsenic suggest that
these two HAPs are of potential concern (primarily from coal-fired
plants); however, further evaluations and review are needed to better
characterize the impacts of dioxins and arsenic emissions from
utilities. Second, nickel emissions from oil-fired utilities are of
potential concern, but significant uncertainties still exist with
regards to the nickel forms emitted from utilities and the health
effects of those various forms. The impacts due to HAP emissions from
gas-fired utilities are negligible based on the results of this study;
therefore, the EPA feels that there is no need for further evaluation
of the risks of HAP emissions from natural gas-fired utilities.
[[Page 10379]]
Dated: February 25, 1998.
Richard D. Wilson,
Acting Assistant, Administrator for Air and Radiation.
[FR Doc. 98-5411 Filed 3-2-98; 8:45 am]
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