EPA Unveils Effluent Guidance Rulemaking Plan for 2008
EPA recently released the "Preliminary 2008 Effluent Guidelines
Program Plan," which identifies any new or existing industrial
categories selected for effluent guidelines rulemaking and provides a
rulemaking schedule.
The agency also issued its 2007 review of existing effluent
guidelines and pretreatment standards. The Clean Water Act requires EPA
to annually review regulations for industrial discharges into waterways
or to publicly owned treatment works (POTWs).
An Oct. 30 Federal Register notice presents the current
status of studies identified in the agency's 2006 annual review of the
steam, electric power generating, coal mining, coalbed methane and
health services industries that EPA will use to decide whether to
identify any of these categories for effluent guidelines rulemaking.
The notice also presents an update on two preliminary industry
reviews identified in the agency's 2006 plan. Because the textile mills
industry did not rank among the top toxic pollutant dischargers in the
2007 review, EPA will not pursue further action for this industry. Due
to a lack of data, EPA will continue its review of the ore mining and
dressing industry, officials said. EPA also is starting reviews for
centralized waste treatment and waste combustor industries.
The Oct. 30 Federal Register notice can be accessed at http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/EPA-WATER/2007/October/Day-30/w21310.htm. Comments on EPA's plan are due by Dec. 31.