{"abstract":"This action promulgates effluent limitations guidelines and standards under the Clean Water Act (CWA) for a portion of the pulp, paper, and paperboard industry, and national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants (NESHAP) under the Clean Air Act (CAA) as amended in 1990 for the pulp and paper production source category. EPA is also promulgating best management practices under the CWA for a portion of the pulp, paper, and paperboard industry, and new analytical methods for 12 chlorinated phenolic pollutants and for adsorbable organic halides (AOX). This action consolidates into 12 subcategories what had once been 26 subcategories of effluent limitations guidelines and standards for the pulp, paper, and paperboard industry, and revises the existing effluent limitations guidelines and standards for the Bleached Papergrade Kraft and Soda subcategory and the Papergrade Sulfite subcategory. The revised effluent limitations guidelines and standards require existing and new facilities within these two subcategories to limit the discharge of pollutants into navigable waters of the United States and to limit the introduction of pollutants into publicly owned treatment works. The NESHAP requires existing and new major sources within the pulp and paper production source category to control emissions using the maximum achievable control technology (MACT) to control hazardous air pollutants (HAP). EPA is revising the effluent limitations guidelines and standards for the Bleached Papergrade Kraft and Soda subcategory and the Papergrade Sulfite subcategory primarily to reduce the discharge of toxic and nonconventional chemical compounds found in the effluents from these mills. Discharge of these pollutants into the freshwater, estuarine, and marine ecosystems may alter aquatic habitats, affect aquatic life, and adversely impact human health. Discharges of chlorinated organic compounds from chlorine bleaching, particularly dioxins and furans, are human carcinogens and human system toxicants and are extremely toxic to aquatic life. The final effluent limitations guidelines and standards for the Bleached Papergrade Kraft and Soda and Papergrade Sulfite subcategory are estimated to reduce the discharge of adsorbable organic halides (AOX) by 28,210 kkg/year; chloroform by 45 kkg/year; chlorinated phenolics by 47 kkg/year; and 2,3,7,8-TCDD (dioxin) and 2,3,7,8-TCDF (furan) by 125 gm/year. These reductions will permit all 19 dioxin/furan-related fish consumption advisories downstream of pulp and paper mills to be lifted. EPA is revising the subcategorization scheme for the effluent limitations guidelines and standards because the new scheme better defines the processes typically found in U.S. mills and thus results in what ultimately will be a streamlined regulation that can be implemented more easily by the permit writer. With the exception of the new effluent limitations guidelines and standards for the Bleached Papergrade Kraft and Soda and Papergrade Sulfite subcategories, EPA is making no substantive changes to the limitations and standards applicable to the newly reorganized subcategories. Those portions of the existing pulp, paper, and paperboard effluent limitations guidelines and standards that are not substantively amended by this action are not subject to judicial review; nor is their effective date affected by this reorganization. The HAPs emitted by facilities covered by the NESHAP include such compounds as methanol, chlorinated compounds, formaldehyde, benzene, and xylene. The health effects of exposure to these and other HAPs at pulp and paper mills can include cancer, respiratory irritation, and damage to the nervous system. The final NESHAP is expected to reduce baseline emissions of HAP by 65 percent or 139,000 Mg/yr. The pollutant reductions resulting from these rules will achieve the primary goals of both the CAA and CWA, which are to ``enhance the quality of the Nation's air resources so as to promote the public health and welfare and productive capacity of its population'' and to ``restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation's waters,'' respectively. These rules will result in continued environmental improvement at reasonable cost by providing flexibility in when and how results are achieved and, for certain mills, by providing incentives to surpass baseline requirements. Elsewhere in today's Federal Register, EPA is concurrently proposing NESHAP to control hazardous air pollutants from chemical recovery combustion sources at kraft, soda, sulfite, and stand-alone semi-chemical pulp mills. In another proposed rule published in today's Federal Register, EPA is also proposing a regulation that would require mills enrolled in the Voluntary Advanced Technology Incentives Program being promulgated for the Bleached Papergrade Kraft and Soda subcategory to submit a plan specifying research, construction, and other activities leading to achievement of the Voluntary Advanced Technology effluent limitations, with accompanying dates for achieving these milestones. Second, EPA proposes to authorize Bleached Papergrade Kraft and Soda subcategory mills under certain circumstances to submit a certification based on process changes in lieu of monitoring for chloroform. Third, although not proposing totally chlorine-free (TCF) technologies for new source performance standards under the CWA for Bleached Papergrade Kraft and Soda subcategory at this time, EPA is requesting comments and data regarding the feasibility of TCF processes for this subcategory, especially the range of products made and their specifications. In that proposal EPA is also requesting comments and data regarding the effluent reduction performance of TCF processes for this subcategory.","action":"Final rules.","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/1998/04/15/98-9613.html","cfr_references":[{"chapter":null,"citation_url":null,"part":"63","title":40},{"chapter":null,"citation_url":null,"part":"261","title":40},{"chapter":null,"citation_url":null,"part":"430","title":40}],"citation":"63 FR 18504","comment_url":null,"comments_close_on":null,"correction_of":null,"corrections":[],"dates":"In accordance with the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996, the regulations shall become effective June 15, 1998. For compliance dates, see the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section under the heading ``Compliance Dates.''","disposition_notes":null,"docket_ids":["FRL-5924-8"],"dockets":[],"document_number":"98-9613","effective_on":"1998-06-15","end_page":18751,"executive_order_notes":null,"executive_order_number":null,"full_text_xml_url":null,"html_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/1998/04/15/98-9613/national-emission-standards-for-hazardous-air-pollutants-for-source-category-pulp-and-paper","images":{},"images_metadata":{},"json_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/api/v1/documents/98-9613?publication_date=1998-04-15","mods_url":"https://www.govinfo.gov/metadata/granule/FR-1998-04-15/98-9613/mods.xml","not_received_for_publication":null,"page_length":248,"page_views":{"count":1391,"last_updated":"2026-07-27 02:15:03 -0400"},"pdf_url":"https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-1998-04-15/pdf/98-9613.pdf","presidential_document_number":null,"proclamation_number":null,"public_inspection_pdf_url":null,"publication_date":"1998-04-15","raw_text_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/full_text/text/1998/04/15/98-9613.txt","regulation_id_number_info":{"2040-AB53":{"issue":"199704","html_url":"https://www.federalregister.gov/regulations/2040-AB53/effluent-guidelines-and-standards-for-the-pulp-paper-and-paperboard-category","title":"Effluent Guidelines and Standards for the Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Category","xml_url":"http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/eAgendaViewRule?pubId=199704&RIN=2040-AB53&operation=OPERATION_EXPORT_XML","priority_category":"Economically Significant"}},"regulation_id_numbers":["2040-AB53"],"regulations_dot_gov_info":{"checked_regulationsdotgov_at":"2011-09-21T03:29:05Z"},"regulations_dot_gov_url":null,"significant":true,"signing_date":null,"start_page":18504,"subtype":null,"title":"National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Source Category: Pulp and Paper Production; Effluent Limitations Guidelines, Pretreatment Standards, and New Source Performance Standards: Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Category","toc_doc":null,"toc_subject":null,"topics":[],"type":"Rule","volume":63}