Environmental Protection Agency November 18, 2021 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This action finalizes the residual risk and technology review (RTR) conducted for the Flexible Polyurethane Foam Fabrication Operations source category regulated under national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants (NESHAP). This action also finalizes the NESHAP technology review for two area source categories, Flexible Polyurethane Foam Production and Flexible Polyurethane Foam Fabrication, which are combined in one subpart. In this action, the EPA is finalizing the proposed revisions to the Flexible Polyurethane Foam Fabrication Operations major source NESHAP, which include adding a numeric emission limit for existing flame lamination units, removing exemptions for periods of startup, shutdown, and malfunction (SSM) and specifying that the emissions standards always apply, requiring periodic performance tests, and requiring electronic reporting of performance test results and compliance reports. In this action, the EPA is also finalizing the proposed revisions to the NESHAP for Flexible Polyurethane Foam Production and Flexible Polyurethane Foam Fabrication area sources to remove references to the provisions of another NESHAP that has been revised and no longer contains the referenced provisions. Implementation of these final rules is not expected to result in significant changes to the hazardous air pollutant (HAP) emissions from affected facilities in these three source categories or to human health impacts or environmental impacts associated with those emissions. However, this action will result in improved monitoring, compliance, and implementation of the existing standards and codifies existing industry practices to prevent backsliding.