{"abstract":"This final rule, promulgated under the Clean Water Act (CWA), protects public health and the environment from toxic metals and other harmful pollutants, including nutrients, by strengthening the technology-based effluent limitations guidelines and standards (ELGs) for the steam electric power generating industry. Steam electric power plants contribute the greatest amount of all toxic pollutants discharged to surface waters by industrial categories regulated under the CWA. The pollutants discharged by this industry can cause severe health and environmental problems in the form of cancer and non-cancer risks in humans, lowered IQ among children, and deformities and reproductive harm in fish and wildlife. Many of these pollutants, once in the environment, remain there for years. Due to their close proximity to these discharges and relatively high consumption of fish, some minority and low-income communities have greater exposure to, and are therefore at greater risk from, pollutants in steam electric power plant discharges. The final rule establishes the first nationally applicable limits on the amount of toxic metals and other harmful pollutants that steam electric power plants are allowed to discharge in several of their largest sources of wastewater. On an annual basis, the rule reduces the amount of toxic metals, nutrients, and other pollutants that steam electric power plants are allowed to discharge by 1.4 billion pounds; it reduces water withdrawal by 57 billion gallons; and, it has social costs of $480 million and monetized benefits of $451 to $566 million.","action":"Final rule.","agencies":[{"raw_name":"ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY","name":"Environmental Protection Agency","id":145,"url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/agencies/environmental-protection-agency","json_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/api/v1/agencies/145","parent_id":null,"slug":"environmental-protection-agency"}],"body_html_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/full_text/html/2015/11/03/2015-25663.html","cfr_references":[{"chapter":null,"citation_url":null,"part":423,"title":40}],"citation":"80 FR 67838","comment_url":null,"comments_close_on":null,"correction_of":null,"corrections":[],"dates":"The final rule is effective on January 4, 2016. In accordance with 40 CFR part 23, this regulation shall be considered issued for purposes of judicial review at 1 p.m. Eastern time on November 17, 2015. Under section 509(b)(1) of the CWA, judicial review of this regulation can be had only by filing a petition for review in the U.S. Court of Appeals within 120 days after the regulation is considered issued for purposes of judicial review. Under section 509(b)(2), the requirements in this regulation may not be challenged later in civil or criminal proceedings brought by EPA to enforce these requirements.","disposition_notes":null,"docket_ids":["EPA-HQ-OW-2009-0819","FRL-9930-48-OW"],"dockets":[],"document_number":"2015-25663","effective_on":"2016-01-04","end_page":67903,"executive_order_notes":null,"executive_order_number":null,"explanation":null,"full_text_xml_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/full_text/xml/2015/11/03/2015-25663.xml","html_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2015/11/03/2015-25663/effluent-limitations-guidelines-and-standards-for-the-steam-electric-power-generating-point-source","images":{"ER03NO15.221":{"large":"https://img.federalregister.gov/ER03NO15.221/ER03NO15.221_large.png","original_size":"https://img.federalregister.gov/ER03NO15.221/ER03NO15.221_original_size.png"}},"images_metadata":{"ER03NO15.221":{"large":{"identifier":"ER03NO15.221","content_type":"image/png","size":25644,"width":823,"sha":"433595deba31b8a433aa46905fb45f8b","url":"https://img.federalregister.gov/ER03NO15.221/ER03NO15.221_large.png","height":580},"original_size":{"identifier":"ER03NO15.221","content_type":"image/png","size":43876,"width":3895,"sha":"cc19f7507b848936270bd104b6d182f4","url":"https://img.federalregister.gov/ER03NO15.221/ER03NO15.221_original_size.png","height":2747}}},"json_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/api/v1/documents/2015-25663?publication_date=2015-11-03","mods_url":"https://www.govinfo.gov/metadata/granule/FR-2015-11-03/2015-25663/mods.xml","not_received_for_publication":null,"page_length":66,"page_views":{"count":13891,"last_updated":"2026-04-10 02:15:05 -0400"},"pdf_url":"https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2015-11-03/pdf/2015-25663.pdf","presidential_document_number":null,"proclamation_number":null,"public_inspection_pdf_url":"https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2015-25663.pdf?1446471920","publication_date":"2015-11-03","raw_text_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/full_text/text/2015/11/03/2015-25663.txt","regulation_id_number_info":{"2040-AF14":{"issue":"201504","html_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/regulations/2040-AF14/effluent-limitations-guidelines-and-standards-for-the-steam-electric-power-generating-point-source-c","title":"Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Steam Electric Power Generating Point Source Category","xml_url":"http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/eAgendaViewRule?pubId=201504&RIN=2040-AF14&operation=OPERATION_EXPORT_XML","priority_category":"Economically Significant"}},"regulation_id_numbers":["2040-AF14"],"regulations_dot_gov_info":{"supporting_documents":[{"title":"CBI - Halogen Addition of Hg Control and Related BOP Issues: 2016 - DCN SE08925","document_id":"EPA-HQ-OW-2009-0819-8899"},{"title":"CBI - 2014 Update on EPRI's Balance-of-Plant Effects Study of Bromine-Based Mercury Controls - DCN SE08924","document_id":"EPA-HQ-OW-2009-0819-8898"},{"title":"Final SUEZ Meeting Notes - DCN SE08591","document_id":"EPA-HQ-OW-2009-0819-8885"},{"title":"2020 Meta-Regression Update Results - DCN SE09335","document_id":"EPA-HQ-OW-2009-0819-8882"},{"title":"Membrane Data For The Final Rule 2020 - DCN SE09461","document_id":"EPA-HQ-OW-2009-0819-8880"},{"title":"Guidelines For Deriving Numerical National Water Quality Criteria For The Protection Of Aquatic Organisms And Their Uses - DCN SE09482","document_id":"EPA-HQ-OW-2009-0819-8877"},{"title":"Property owner's willingness to pay for water quality improvements: contingent valuation estimates in two central Minnesota Watersheds - \n[DCN SE09408]","document_id":"EPA-HQ-OW-2009-0819-8842"},{"title":"Existence and Sport Values for Doubling the Size of the Columbia River Basin Salmon and Steelhead Runs - DCN SE09410 Olsen, D., Richards, J., Scott, R. D. 1991","document_id":"EPA-HQ-OW-2009-0819-8830"},{"title":"Estimating Willingness to Pay for Additional Protection of Ohio Surface Waters: Contingent Valuation of Water Quality - DCN SE09449 Irvin, S.; Haab, T.; Hitzhusen, F.J (2007)","document_id":"EPA-HQ-OW-2009-0819-8819"},{"title":"Alternative Cancer Slope Factor and Case Valuation for Arsenic Analysis - DCN SE09337","document_id":"EPA-HQ-OW-2009-0819-8812"}],"regulatory_plan":{"html_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/regulations/2040-AF14/effluent-limitations-guidelines-and-standards-for-the-steam-electric-power-generating-point-source-c","title":"Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Steam Electric Power Generating Point Source Category"},"comments_url":"https://www.regulations.gov/docketBrowser?rpp=50&so=DESC&sb=postedDate&po=0&dct=PS&D=EPA-HQ-OW-2009-0819","supporting_documents_count":6212,"docket_id":"EPA-HQ-OW-2009-0819","regulation_id_number":"2040-AF14","title":"Rulemaking for the Steam Electric Power Generating Effluent Limitations Guidelines","checked_regulationsdotgov_at":"2015-11-23T06:00:14Z"},"regulations_dot_gov_url":null,"significant":true,"signing_date":null,"start_page":67838,"subtype":null,"title":"Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Steam Electric Power Generating Point Source Category","toc_doc":"Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Steam Electric Power Generating Point Source Category","toc_subject":null,"topics":["Environmental protection","Waste treatment and disposal","Water pollution control"],"type":"Rule","volume":80}