National Hardwood Magazine - April 2024

HARDWOOD FEDERATION INFO
EPA Piles On Red Tape, Releases
Stringent Air Quality Standard
On February 7, EPA announced
it would tighten the final air quality
standard for PM 2.5, also known
as “fine particulate matter,” from 12
micrograms (ug) per cubic meter to
a more stringent 9 ug, a level which
could impose up to $900 million in
compliance costs on the wood products sector. Unfortunately,
federal regulators are targeting the wrong source
of emissions for PM, shifting a massive burden to industry
that could otherwise be addressed by forest management
and an accompanying reduction in wildfires, which
are the source of 43 percent of PM emissions. As a point
of reference, the European Union standard is 25 ug,
more than twice as high as permitted concentrations in
the U.S. Lowering the standard would place 589 counties
in non-attainment and hundreds more on the cusp of
non-attainment, exposing industry to new regulations as
regulators review additional control measures to achieve
the new targets.
As a general matter, compliance with the PM standard
currently falls mainly on the backs of “major sources” of
pollution under the Clean Air Act such as power plants,
chemical refineries and large pulp and paper facilities.
That said, the Federation is concerned that tightening
the regulations would capture currently unregulated
Hardwood mills and manufacturing facilities operating on
the cusp of or within newly designated non-attainment
areas. This could trigger costly analysis and monitoring
in the event a plant seeks to expand its operations.
On the advocacy front, on October
25, the Federation joined the U.S.
Chamber of Commerce and National
Association of Manufacturers (NAM)
in a meeting with the White House
Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) to urge the Administration to
reject EPA’s proposal to tighten the standard. During
the course of the meeting, the Federation echoed points
raised within formal comments submitted in the spring
advocating that EPA retain the current standard. During
the OMB meeting, the Federation cited a study conducted
by the American Forest & Paper Association and
American Wood Council outlining the economic impacts
of a more stringent standard. According to the study, the
wood products sector could take on up to $900 million in
compliance costs if the agency imposes a standard of 9
ug. Fortunately for industry, both the Federation and U.S.
Chamber of Commerce directed their remarks at OMB
toward responsible forest management as the common-sense
solution to reducing PM levels, which have
increased in many regions because of wildfires.
Although the final outcome marks a setback for industry,
behind-the-scenes advocacy helped push release of
the new rules two months later than expected, following
a tug-of-war between competing voices within the Administration.
According to Administration sources, in late
2023 EPA had been considering a more flexible standard
of 10 micrograms per cubic meter, an outcome that
industry favored over the more costly alternative while
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Please turn to page 88
BY DANA LEE COLE,
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR,
HARDWOOD FEDERATION,
WASHINGTON, DC
202-463-5186
WWW.HARDWOODFEDERATION.WILDAPRICOT.ORG
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