WASHINGTON — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has published a proposed rulemaking to amend the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAP) for tire manufacturing that, if implemented, could result in added costs for the U.S. tire industry of nearly $21 million a year
Currently, the EPA splits the tire manufacturing source category into four subcategories: rubber processing, tire production, tire cord production and puncture sealant application, according to the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), which is working with industry coalition partners to review and respond to the newly proposed regulations.
Prior to this proposal, published Nov. 16 in the Federal Register, the EPA regulated three out of four of those sources. The proposed rule seeks to regulate the emissions associated with rubber processing and is the result of a 2022 EPA information request that was sent to all major tire manufacturing companies in the U.S.
The EPA in this instance is working under the auspices of the Clean Air Act (CAA), which requires the agency to address unregulated emissions from a source category when the agency conducts an eight-year technology review.
The EPA estimates the move would cost the tire manufacturing industry $20.8 million per year if implemented.
The benefits of this rule would be reductions of emissions of hazardous air pollutants (HAP) or surrogates thereof, along with reduced emissions of particulate matter (PM). Such reductions are expected to result in health benefits to children by reducing the level of HAP emissions as well as an associated reduction in PM-related mortality and morbidity, the EPA said in the proposal.
