Plywood and Composite Wood Products Manufacture: National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP)

Rule Summary

Plywood and composite wood products are manufactured by bonding wood material (veneer, fibers, particles, strands, etc.) or agricultural fiber, generally with resin under heat and pressure, to form a structural panel or engineered wood product. Plywood and composite wood products manufacturing facilities include facilities that manufacture dry veneer and lumber dry kilns.

Plywood and composite wood products include (but are not limited to):

  • plywood,
  • veneer,
  • particleboard,
  • oriented strand board,
  • hardboard,
  • fiberboard,
  • medium density fiberboard,
  • laminated strand lumber,
  • laminated veneer lumber,
  • wood I-joists,
  • kiln-dried lumber, and
  • glue-laminated beams

The National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for this sector was originally proposed in 2003 and promulgated in 2004. In these actions, the EPA identified acetaldehyde, acrolein, formaldehyde, methanol, phenol and propionaldehyde as the main pollutants emitted from this sector. On June 19, 2007, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit vacated some of the provisions in the NESHAP that created and delisted a low risk subcategory of the plywood and composite wood product facilities.

 See the section below for the regulation and the Court’s vacatur.

Rule History

09/08/2016 - Risk and Technology Review Information Collection Request 1st Notice

09/08/2016 - Information Collection Request Supporting Statement 1st Notice

10/29/2007 - Final Rule (Revised due to court actions)

02/16/2006 - Final Rule; amendments

07/29/2005 - Notice of Reconsideration of Final Rule & Proposed Rule

07/30/2004 - Final Rule

01/09/2003 - Proposed Rule

Additional Resources

National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for Plywood and Composite Wood Manufacturing Background Information for Final Standards: Summary of Public Comments and Responses

Economic Impact Analysis of the Plywood and Composite Wood Products National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP)

Regulatory Impact Analysis for the Plywood and Composite Wood Products National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP)

Air Toxics Regulation for Plywood and Composite Wood Products Fact Sheets

View the supporting documents in the docket folder to find additional related documents to this rule.

Related Rules

Control Technique Document: Control Techniques for Organic Emissions from Plywood Veneer Dryers

Compliance

National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP): Plywood and Composite Wood Products Compliance Requirements & Timeline

National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP): Plywood and Composite Wood Products - Example Initial Notification Report

Plywood and Composite Wood Products (PCWP) National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) Brochure

Applicability Determination Index (ADI).  The ADI is maintained by EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) and provides a data base of memoranda dealing with applicability issues.  The database is searchable by Subpart.