Acid Rain Provisions

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

Acid Rain Division

[FRL-4884-7]

Acid Rain Provisions

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: EPA has prepared guidance to help determine if the Acid Rain

Program SO2 requirements apply to specific steam and electric

generating units. This guidance is of particular use to owners and

operators of electric generating units who are unsure as to whether

their units are affected by the Acid Rain Program SO2

requirements.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the guidance, entitled ``Do the Acid Rain SO2

Regulations Apply to You?,'' are available upon request by calling the

Acid Rain Hotline at (202) 233-9620 or by writing to:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Acid Rain Division 6204J, Attn:

Applicability Guidance, 401 M Street, SW., Washington, DC 20460

The following groups have copies available to their members:

American Public Power Association, contact Larry Mansueti; American

Forest Products, contact Rob Kaufmann; Council of Industrial Boiler

Owners, contact Bill Marx; Chemical Manufacturers Association, contact

Nancy Cookson; Edison Electric Institute, contact John Kinsman;

Electric Consumers Resource Council, contact John Hughes; Electric

Generation Association, contact Julie Blankenship; Large Public Power

Council, contact Stephen Fotis; National Coal Association, contact

Jerry Karaganis; National Independent Energy Producers, contact Janet

Besser; National Rural Electric Cooperative Assoc., contact Ray

Cronmiller.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kathy Barylski, Acid Rain Division, at

the above address; telephone (202) 233-9074.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA's Acid Rain Program was established by

Title IV of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (CAAA) to reduce acid

rain in the continental United States. The Acid Rain Program will

achieve a 50 percent reduction in sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions

from utility units. The SO2 reduction program is a flexible

market-based approach to environmental management. As part of this

approach, EPA allocates ``allowances'' to affected utility units. Each

allowance is a limited authorization to emit up to one ton of SO2.

At the end of each calendar year, each unit must hold allowances in an

amount equal to or greater than its SO2 emissions for the year.

Allowances may be bought, sold, or transferred between utilities and

other interested parties. Those utility units whose annual emissions

are likely to exceed their allocation of allowances may either install

pollution control technologies or switch to cleaner fuels to reduce

SO2 emissions, or buy additional allowances.

The Acid Rain Program SO2 requirements potentially affect any

device that combusts fossil fuel and supplies electricity for sale or

serves an electrical generating device that supplies electricity for

sale. Thus, units owned or operated by industrial or commercial

entities may be affected. To ensure adequate notice to all potentially

affected units, EPA has chosen to provide this notice of availability

of the Acid Rain applicability guidance.

The guidance, ``Do the Acid Rain SO2 Regulations Apply to

You?'', provides information regarding what makes a unit potentially

affected, what types of units may be exempted from Acid Rain Program

requirements, and what types of units are not affected by the Acid Rain

Program requirements. The document also outlines how the owner or

operator of a unit may request a determination of applicability from

EPA. If a unit is affected by the Acid Rain Program SO2

requirements, the document outlines the requirements and compliance

dates. The document does not address the Acid Rain Program (Title IV)

NOx requirements or NOx or SO2 control requirements

under other State or Federal programs.

Dated: May 6, 1994.

Brian J. McLean, Director,

Acid Rain Division.

[FR Doc. 94-11693 Filed 5-12-94; 8:45 am]

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