Federal rule exempts thousands of local waste incinerators from effective emission controls

When coal is burned in the U.S., most of the mercury in the coal no longer spews into our air — thanks to a federal rule that Earthjustice and our clients fought for and continue to defend.

Failure to regulate has allowed release of tons of toxic pollution released annually

Commercial/industrial waste-burning incinerators burn waste produced from utilities and mining, oil and gas operations or from the manufacturing of wood and pulp products, chemicals and rubber. About 15,000 incinerators are scattered across our country. Recognizing the threat these incinerators pose to public health, Congress directed the Environmental Protection Agency to set strict limits on all…

Recognizing the threat incinerators pose to public health, Congress directed the EPA to set strict limits on all waste-burning incinerators by 1994. Twenty years later, EPA has only set pollution limits for 106 of the about 15,000 total facilities across the country.

Jim Pew, Attorney, Washington, D.C., Office, Earthjustice: “It’s quite simple. If you want to burn municipal waste, meet the Clean Air Act standards for municipal waste incinerators. If you want to burn industrial waste, meet the Clean Air Act standards for industrial waste.”

Litigation challenges EPA rule that does little to protect against mercury, PCBs and more

Proposed rule proves to be inadequate

Bill permits uncontrolled industrial waste burning and will lead to thousands of premature, preventable deaths

Lawsuit challenges flawed EPA rule that allows hazardous chemical emissions

Groups sue U.S. EPA to close loophole, protect public health and the environment

Decision will require protective controls for toxic emissions from waste burners

Not all burning is bad. For example, campfires rule—when they are done sensitively. I don’t mean with tenderness, but rather with attention paid to the ecosystem and the importance of the fallen wood within it. Those fires bring light, heat and comfort to our small corners of the wild. But in other corners of the…

Environmental groups and communities cheer decision to enforce hazardous waste laws

The federal government has made every effort to avoid setting clean air standards for the nation’s 218 sewage sludge incinerators (SSIs), which burn a witch’s brew of dirty wastes: pesticides, medical waste, industrial by-products and discarded materials from auto shops, for example. The Bush administration tried to exempt SSIs from the Clean Air Act entirely.…