EPA is proposing to drop Clean Air Act permitting requirements for incineration of woody debris, arguing it could help prevent wildfires and speed disaster recovery.
Under a draft rule released Tuesday, the agency would no longer require air curtain incinerators to get permits under Title V of the act in most circumstances. Among other provisions, the proposal would also consolidate regulatory requirements for air curtain incinerators that are currently spread out across four rules, according to an agency summary.
EPA defines air curtain incinerators as those that operate “by forcefully projecting a curtain of air across an open chamber or open pit in which combustion occurs.” While one manufacturer has described them as the “most environmentally friendly way to dispose of wood and vegetative waste,” an environmental advocate has labeled them a “glorified Dumpster fire” whose use will increase public exposure to harmful pollution.
The proposal’s release follows EPA’s use of a stopgap interim rule last summer to waive emission limits on air curtain incinerators and other types of burn units when they are used to dispose of debris from hurricanes and other types of natural disasters. Environmental and community groups are currently challenging that decision in a lawsuit before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Proceedings in that litigation are temporarily on hold as EPA pursues the newly released proposal.
