Pulp and paper "cluster rule" called burdensome by industry In issuing a final rule to control the pulp and paper industry's combined air and water discharges, EPA has set effluent limits of dioxin based on the pulpprocessing technology already in place at half the mills in the United States. Environmentalists criticized the ruling for not going far enough to implement clean technology, whereas an industry group calls the technology mandate a burden on U.S. firms. The final rule, signed by EPA Administrator Carol Browner on Nov. 14, requires U.S. mills to cut dioxin discharges to the level attainable by substituting chlorine dioxide for elemental chlorine in the bleaching process. This was one of two options to control water discharges that EPA considered in its draft rule. The agency decided against requiring oxygen delignification, a more stringent pulp-processing technology that would have reduced the use of bleaching chemicals in the whitening process and further reduced dioxin discharges. EPA said the new "cluster rule" will virtually eliminate dioxin discharges into waterways. It calls for a 96% reduction in dioxin discharges, based on the substitution of chlorine dioxide for elemental chlorine during the bleaching process. The rule will also lead to a 59% cut in total toxic air pollutants, including a 50% reduction in emissions of volatile organic compounds and sulfur and a 37% cut in particulate matter. The U.S. pulp and paper industry produces 35% of pulp made worldwide and is one of the nation's largest industrial sectors. The rule affects some 150 mills nationwide. Industry trade groups lobbied for the less strict effluent standard. American Forest and Paper Association President W. Henson Moore argued that even the lenient rule will be a burden. This is one of the most expensive rules ever proposed for a single industry, requiring investments that place the U.S. pulp and paper industry at a competitive disadvantage globally," said Moore. EPA has
estimated that the industry will need to invest $1.8 billion to comply with the new rules. According to Patrick Hurston, a spokesperson for the Alliance for Environmental Technology, an industry trade association that endorses the use of chlorine dioxide, 55% of U.S. paper mills are already in compliance with even the more stringent version of the effluent requirements. Oxygen delignification technology is commonplace in many European mills, said Troy Swackhammer, an EPA engineer involved in developing the new rule. The Weyerhaeuser Co., a major U.S. pulp and paper producer, "already met the effluent standards in this rule before the rules were published," said company spokesperson Kate Tate. "We believe in using the most advanced, commercially proven technology available," she said. Tate added
that Weyerhaeuser has adopted oxygen delignification at many of its mills. Environmentalists lobbied EPA to mandate oxygen delignification and to encourage industry to adopt totally chlorine free (TCF) bleaching technologies. TCF technology does not lead to the formation of dioxin and other chlorinated organic compounds. Environmentalists say the rules do not conform to the Clean Water Act, which stipulates use of the "best available technology" that is economically achievable. Jessica Landman, senior attorney for the National Resources Defense Council, said the new standards do not move the industry forward. "It's going to thrust the industry full speed into the 1970s," she said, noting that half of the industry had already converted to chlorine dioxide bleaching BRIAN LAVENDEL
AIR QUALITY California to clamp down on light truck emissions California regulators have proposed tighter emission requirements for minivans, sport utility vehicles, and other light trucks. The amendment to California's low-emission vehicle regulations would lower nitrous oxide emission levels to 0.05 gram per mile from the current standard of 0.2 gpm. If approved in November as scheduled, the amendment would require that the popular vehicles meet the same emission standards as cars by 2008. Light trucks made up 44% of all new vehicle sales nationwide and more than 95% of all truck sales in 1997, according to the American Automobile Manufacturers Association (AAMA). Because of increased sales of this class of vehicles and the looser standards set for them under federal law, California regulators believe the new rules are needed for the state to meet federal goals for ozone reduction. The proposed regulation would be more stringent than those EPA proposed in December for most types of light trucks. In January, Ford Motor Corp. announced that it would begin producing sport utility vehicles in 1999 that emit as much as 40% less nitrogen oxide. These vehicles, however, would still not meet the stricter standards proposed by California. "California can't tell the auto industry to make more fuel-efficient vehicles, but it can require lower hydrocarbon and nitrous oxide emissions for these things," said Ann Misinkoff of the Sierra Club. The AAMA's Steve Douglas said the regulations proposed by the California Air Resources Board "would be very difficult and costly to comply with by 2004," the deadline for reducing light truck emissions of NO x to 0.05 gpm. Under the Clean Air Act, California can adopt air pollution controls that are stricter than federal standards. The proposed regulations encourage automakers to equip light trucks with a three-way catalyst technology that simultaneously reduces hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxide released through the tailpipe, said Steve Albu, chief of engineering studies for the board. —DEBRA SCHWARTZ
FEB. 1, 1998 /ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY / NEWS • 7 9 A
