News Releases from Headquarters›Water (OW)

EPA Finalizes Rule to Postpone Steam Electric Power Plant Effluent Guidelines Rule

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized a rule postponing certain compliance dates by two years for the effluent limitations guidelines and standards for steam electric power plants (ELG Rule) that were issued in November 2015.

“Today's final rule resets the clock for certain portions of the agency's effluent guidelines for power plants, providing relief from the existing regulatory deadlines while the agency revisits some of the rule's requirements," said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. 
The final rule postpones the compliance dates for the best available technology economically achievable (“BAT”) effluent limitations and pretreatment standards (“PSES”) for two wastestreams at existing sources, bottom ash transport water and flue gas desulfurization (“FGD”) wastewater, for a period of two years. 

Last month, the Administrator announced that he would reconsider BAT effluent limitations and PSES in the 2015 rule that apply to bottom ash transport water and FGD wastewater.  As part of this upcoming rulemaking, EPA will provide an opportunity for public comment on any proposed revisions to the 2015 final rule.  

At this time, EPA does not intend to conduct a rulemaking that would potentially revise BAT effluent limitations and PSES in the 2015 rule for fly ash transport water, flue gas mercury control wastewater, and gasification wastewater, or any of the other requirements in the 2015 rule.  

EPA is posting a pre-publication copy of today’s final rule at:

https://www.epa.gov/eg/steam-electric-power-generating-effluent-guidelines-2015-final-rule#pending