MEMORANDUM

TO: Mary Johnson, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, OAQPS/SPPD

FROM: Eastern Research Group

DATE: December 2012

SUBJECT: Revision of Cost Impacts for Reconsideration of the NESHAP for Area Sources: 

Industrial, Commercial, and Institutional Boilers

1.0 INTRODUCTION

This memorandum describes corrections to cost impacts published in Estimated Impacts 

from the Proposed Amendments to the NESHAP for Area Sources: Industrial, Commercial, and 

Institutional Boilers A which provides details for the estimated cost, emissions, and secondary 

impacts for the proposed amendments to the promulgated March, 2011 Area Source Industrial, 

Commercial, and Institutional Boiler NESHAP (76 FR 15554)1. The data presented in this 

memorandum represent the cost impacts from the March 2011 Final Rule to the December 

2011 Proposed Reconsideration of the final rule (76 FR 80532) for the selected options 4E and 

4N, and replace the data presented in Section 3.0 of the published Estimated Impacts from the 

Proposed Amendments to the NESHAP for Area Sources: Industrial, Commercial, and 

Institutional Boilers. This memorandum also discusses why annualized costs for existing area 

sources increased from the March 2011 final rule.

This memorandum is separated into the following sections:

1.0 Introduction

2.0 Discussion of Changes to Cost Impacts

3.0 References

 

A Docket ID: EPA-HQ-OAR-2006-0790-2395
2.0 DISCUSSION OF CHANGES TO COST IMPACTS

The November 2011 memorandum titled “Estimated Impacts from the Proposed 

Amendments to the NESHAP for Area Sources: Industrial, Commercial, and Institutional 

Boilers” portrayed cost impacts for both existing and new area source boilers1. Table 1 

(“Summary of Changes to Cost Impacts since Promulgated Rule”) in this previous memorandum 

portrayed costs from regulatory option 3E for existing area sources and regulatory option 3N

for new area sources. Because the options selected in the final rule were regulatory options 4E 

and 4N, Table 1 is being updated to portray cost impacts calculated under regulatory options 4E 

and 4N for existing and new area source boilers, respectively. A discussion of the various 

regulatory options is provided in the memorandum titled “Revised Methodology for Estimating 

Impacts from Industrial, Commercial, Institutional Boilers at Area Sources of Hazardous Air 

Pollutant Emissions”

B

in the docket2. In option 3E, all existing large (greater than 10 million 

British thermal units per hour) coal-, biomass-, and liquid-fired boilers must meet mercury (Hg) 

and carbon monoxide (CO) limits based on MACT. Similarly, in option 3N, new large biomassand liquid-fired boilers, as well as new coal-fired boilers of any size, must meet Hg and CO limits 

based on MACT. Options 4E and 4N are similar to options 3E and 3N, respectively, with the 

exception of existing and new biomass- and liquid-fired boilers being subject to a tune-up in 

lieu of Hg and CO limits.

Table 1 contains the cost impacts for options 3E and 3N as presented in Table 1 of the 

memorandum “Estimated Impacts from the Proposed Amendments to the NESHAP for Area 

Sources: Industrial, Commercial, and Institutional Boilers”. Table 2 contains the cost impacts 

for the chosen regulatory options 4E and 4N.

Table 1 - Summary of Changes to Cost Impacts since Promulgated Rule for Alternative Regulatory Options 3E and 3N

Source

Total Capital Investment ($2008) Total Annualized Costs ($2008)A

Promulgated Rule Reconsideration Promulgated Rule Reconsideration

Existing Sources

(option 3E)

2,100,370,929 2,100,370,929 586,995,677 598,829,342

New Sources

(option 3N)

619,756,216 508,933,671 264,869,374 234,624,437

 

B Docket ID: EPA-HQ-OAR-2006-0790-2314
A

Annualized costs for existing sources include energy assessment costs.

Table 2 – Summary of Changes to Cost Impacts since Promulgated Rule for Chosen Regulatory Options 4E and 4N

Source

Total Capital Investment ($2008) Total Annualized Costs ($2008)A

Promulgated Rule Reconsideration Promulgated Rule Reconsideration

Existing Sources

(option 4E)

1,303,809,341 1,303,809,341 487,097,790 499,569,047

New Sources

(option 4N)

125,236,654 76,398,844 47,762,318 27,559,196

A

Annualized costs for existing sources include energy assessment costs.

2.1 Increased Annualized Costs for Existing Sources

In the memorandum “Revised Methodology for Estimating Impacts from Industrial, 

Commercial, Institutional Boilers at Area Sources of Hazardous Air Pollutant Emissions”, the 

annualized costs for fabric filters for existing large coal-fired area source boilers were

incorrectly assigned a cost of $274,739 per boiler. We have revised the annual cost estimate 

for these units to $422,359 per boiler. The total annual cost for all existing large coal-fired area 

source boilers expected to install a fabric filter has been revised from $30,383,446 (reported in 

the memorandum “Revised Methodology for Estimating Impacts from Industrial, Commercial, 

Institutional Boilers at Area Sources of Hazardous Air Pollutant Emissions”) to $42,225,467.
3.0 REFERENECS

1. Eastern Research Group. Estimated Impacts from the Proposed Amendments to the 

NESHAP for Area Sources: Industrial, Commercial, and Institutional Boilers. November, 

2011.

2. Gibson, G., S. McClutchey, and A. Singleton, ERG. Revised Methodology for Estimating 

Impacts from Industrial, Commercial, Institutional Boilers at Area Sources of Hazardous 

Air Pollutant Emissions. February, 2011.