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Emissions Standards for Boilers and Process Heaters and Commercial / Industrial Solid Waste Incinerators

Boiler Compliance at Area Sources

Questions?

Click on the map for information in your area, including:

  • who to contact for questions
  • where to send notification forms
  • workshops, webinars, and other assistance

Region 9: Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Pacific Islands Region 1: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont Region 2: New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands Region 10: Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington Region 3: Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia Region 10: Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington Region 7: Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska Region 5: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin Region 8: Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming Region 6: Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas Region 4: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee Region 2: New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands
Example Forms

The National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for area source boilers were published in the Federal Register on March 21, 2011 and became effective May 20, 2011.

No Action Assurance Letter
March 13, 2012: The EPA issued a No Action Assurance Letter (PDF) (4pp, 1.2 MB) for initial tune-up deadlines.  This means although the rule states that initial tune-ups must be completed by March 21, 2012, using our enforcement discretion, EPA will not pursue enforcement action for violations of initial tune-up deadlines in the Area Source Boiler rule.  EPA proposed to extend the compliance date for initial tune-ups from March 21, 2012 until March 21, 2013, however, EPA has not yet finalized this change. 

Where do I send my Initial Notification form?
For existing boilers, your Initial Notification Form (Word File) was due to EPA or the delegated state agency by September 17, 2011 (for new sources, forms are due within 120 days after startup). Use the map on the following page to find the mailing address for your completed forms.

Proposed Changes to the Area Source Boiler Rule
On December 23, 2011, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed amendments to the NESHAP for area source boilers. You can find the rule proposing these amendments including information on how to send in comments, as well as related information, at Regulatory Actions.   EPA is accepting comments on the proposed rule changes until February 21, 2012.

What are Some Important Proposed Changes?

  • EPA proposed a revised definition for “Hot water heater” to clarify that gas and oil hot water boilers (e.g., not steam boilers) with a heat input capacity less than 1.6 million Btu per hour are included in this definition and therefore would be exempt from the regulation.
  • EPA Proposed an exemption and definition for “Residential Boiler” to mean boilers located in dwellings of four or fewer family units, including boilers located in dwellings of four or fewer family units located at institutional facilities (e.g., universities) or commercial/industrial facilities (e.g., farms)
  • EPA proposed to extend the initial tune-up date for existing sources until March 21, 2013 and is taking comment on extending the initial tune-up date until March 21, 2014.

The Proposed Rule Changes do not become effective until EPA issues a final regulation including any final changes. You can find a more detailed summary of the proposed actions at synopsis of the proposed changes (Word File).

I thought the boiler rule has been delayed?
On May 18, 2011, EPA published a notice delaying the effective date of the major source (or "boiler MACT") rule only. The requirements for area source boilers are still in effect. See Regulatory Actions for more information.

Am I affected by the boiler rule?
You are affected if your facility is an area source and your boiler burns:

  • coal (including coal refuse, petroleum coke, or synthentic fuels derived from coal)
  • oil or other liquid fuel (for boilers that burn primarily gas but infrequently burn oil, see exemptions below)
  • biomass
  • non-waste materials
The following types of boilers are exempt from this rule:
  • gas-fired boilers (a boiler that primarily burns gas is still considered a gas-fired boiler even if it also burns oil or other liquid fuel during periods of gas curtailment, gas supply emergencies, or for periodic testing not to exceed 48 hours during any calendar year)
  • boilers that burn solid waste (these boiler are subject to incinerator standards)
  • hot water heaters
  • waste heat boilers (heat recovery steam generators)

What does the rule require?
The following document provides a quick reference for which requirements apply to various types of boilers: Fast Facts: Area Source Boiler Requirements (PDF) (1 pg, 59K about PDF)

For a complete list of requirements, refer to the NESHAP final rule for industrial, commercial, and institutional boilers (PDF) (54 pp, 388K)

What are some common questions about tune-ups?

  • Can I conduct my tune-up early?  Yes. A tune-up may be conducted early as long as the tune-up included all elements of the tune-up specified in the rule.  In addition, the next tune-up is due no later than 25 months after the date of the early tune-up.
  • Must I start up a shutdown boiler to conduct a tune-up by the due date? No.  If a boiler is not operating on the required date for a tune-up, the tune-up is required within one week of start-up.

How do I determine if my facility is an area source?
Area sources are commercial (laundries, apartments, hotels), institutional (schools, churches, medical centers, municipal buildings) or industrial (manufacturing, refining, processing, mining) facilities that emit or have the potential to emit less than 10 tons per year of a single hazardous air pollutant, or less than 25 tons per year of combined hazardous air pollutants.

Why regulate boilers?
There are more than 187,000 area source boilers used to generate heat in the United States. The individual emissions from these units may be small, but the total emissions from all boilers is significant. Air pollution from boilers includes particulate matter (PM 2.5), carbon monoxide, hydrochloric acid, mercury (from coal-fired boilers), and trace amounts of other heavy metals. Health effects include a range of respiratory issues, especially asthma among children and seniors.

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