Metal Fabrication and Finishing Source Categories: National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) Area Source Standards

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Rule Summary

On June 13, 2008 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued final national air toxicsstandards for smaller-emitting sources, known as area sources, for nine metal fabrication andfinishing source categories.These standards affect any new or existing facility that performs metal fabrication or finishing operations which uses or emits compounds of cadmium, chromium, lead,manganese, and nickel; or uses or emits elemental forms of all except lead. The rule covers area sources in the following nine industries:

electrical and electronic equipment finishing operations;
fabricated metal products manufacturing;
fabricated plate work (boiler shops) manufacturing;
fabricated structuralmetal manufacturing;
heating equipment manufacturing, except electric;
industrial machinery and equipment finishing operations;
iron and steel forging;
primary metal products manufacturing; and
valves and pipe fittings manufacturing.

Facilities affected by this rule perform the same air toxics-emitting operations, and the emissions are controlled in the same way. As such, EPA decided to regulate the sources collectively rather than individually.