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The Biomass Thermal Energy Council commented on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's proposed changes to the Clean Air Act standards for Area and Major Source Boilers, pledging continued review of the new regulations.
The proposed rules, which apply to industrial and commercial-sized biomass boilers, were recently released and contained revisions designed to reduce boiler compliance costs by almost 50 percent from the original proposal, according to BTEC.
BTEC executive director, Joseph Seymour, said: "We are pleased that the EPA's revised standards look to achieve major public health benefits while further adjusting the rules to meet real world boiler operating conditions. Striking a balance to meet clean air standards without placing high compliance costs on the renewable energy industry can be a difficult task, and BTEC welcomes EPA's ongoing process.
"BTEC has appreciated the opportunity to provide EPA with input from the biomass thermal community, and we look forward to continued review of the regulations and dialogue with the agency to drive regulations promoting the cleanest equipment available. Local, renewable biomass can help families, institutions and companies meet economic, energy and environmental goals, and we as an industry should support regulations that drive deployment of clean, efficient biomass thermal technologies."
For more on the Area and Major Source Boiler rules, please visit: www.epa.gov/airquality/combustion/actions.html.