What environmental laws and regulations must be followed by WTE plants? Are there separate rules issued by the federal government and states?
In the USA, WTE facilities are primarily regulated under the federal Clean Air Act and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. The Clean Air Act requires plants to obtain permits whose provisions are based on plant size and technology. Federal and state regulators enforce emissions limits for sulfur dioxide, hydrogen chloride, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, particulates, cadmium, lead, mercury, and dioxins. Operating conditions, monitoring, reporting, training and safety requirements also apply under the Clean Air Act. The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act require testing of the plants’ ash residue to determine that the ash is non-hazardous and properly disposed or reused. States often take authority for enforcement of the regulations and require even stricter environmental limits on the facilities’ operation than imposed by the federal rules. State-specific requirements can include more strict emission limits, testing or reporting than federal rules; additional solid waste
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