ENV-09-46 Measurement of Gaseous VOC and Greenhouse Gas Content for Pressurized Process Wastewater Streams

Description:

In September 1994, the EPA proposed a New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturing Industry (SOCMI) wastewater streams as an addition to Chapter 40 Part 60 of the Code of Federal Regulations (40CFR 60). This proposed new rule, Subpart YYY, was supplemented by new proposed changes in October 1995 and again in December 1998. Additionally, amendments to 40CFR Part 63 “National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Source Categories” (commonly called the “Maximum Achievable Control Technology” or “MACT” standards) Subpart C were proposed in June 2004. According to plans laid out in EPA’s spring 2009 Regulatory Agenda, the long-proposed 40CFR 60 Subpart YYY rule should be finalized by June 2010. This rule, as initially proposed, will place stringent new performance requirements on certain SOCMI process wastewater systems in new and modified facilities to reduce emissions of certain chemicals from these streams through both the air and the water pathways. During this same time period, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) adopted regulations in Title 30 of the Texas Administrative Code (30TAC) at Chapter 115, Subchapter H to regulate and reduce the emissions of highly-reactive volatile organic chemicals (HRVOCs) from facilities located in the Houston-Galveston-Brazoria ozone non-attainment area. These compounds were determined to be key factors in the formation of ground-level ozone in this region and appeared to be significantly underreported in the annual emission inventories (EIs) for this region.