The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has evaluated the risks remaining after fully implementing the 2003 National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for Municipal Solid Waste Landfills and determined that risks from this source category are acceptable. In addition, the agency identified no developments in practices, processes or control technologies that would further reduce emissions of hazardous air pollutants (HAP). EPA is finalizing no significant changes to the original NESHAP for this source category and has determined that the standards continue to provide an ample margin of safety to public health and the environment. EPA is finalizing several minor amendments to the existing regulation that will improve clarity, compliance and implementation of the rule. Final revisions include overall NESHAP reorganization to reduce overlapping applicability and to promote consistency with the 1996 and 2016 New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) and Emission Guidelines (EG); regulatory text for the 2016 NSPS/EG that allows landfills to demonstrate compliance by “opting in” to the major compliance provisions of the NESHAP; revisions to wellhead standards and associated monitoring and corrective action procedures; electronic reporting; and updated language to clarify that the standards are applicable during periods of startup, shutdown and malfunction as well as a work practice standard for time periods when a landfill’s gas collection and control system is not operating. Aligning the requirements of the NSPS/EG and the NESHAP will allow facilities to streamline their compliance and reporting.

For more information on actions related to this source category, visit the regulation page for Municipal Solid Waste Landfills: National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP).

• Fact Sheet: Final Amendments to Air Toxics Standards for Municipal Solid Waste Landfills (PDF)(3 pp, 165 K)