USTMA welcomes move to overturn EPA tire plant emissions rule

Washington – The US Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA) has welcomed the passage of a resolution that overturns the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) revision of emissions standards for tire manufacturing.

The bipartisan measure reverses changes to the National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for rubber tire manufacturing, finalised by the EPA in late November last year, said USTMA in a 6 May statement.

According to the industry association, the updated rule would have imposed high costs while offering little environmental benefit.

Tire makers have complied with NESHAP to reduce emissions for a long time, said USTMA president and CEO Anne Forristall Luke.

However, she added, the EPA’s revised final NESHAP rule “creates an adverse environmental impact, while imposing significant financial burdens on tire manufacturing facilities and providing negligible, if any, benefits.”

USTMA noted that the EPA’s 2020 review found the existing NESHAP rule sufficient to protect public health and the environment.

The revised version introduced new emission limits for total hydrocarbons and filterable particulate matter, requiring manufacturers to install regenerative thermal oxidisers.

These devices use large amounts of natural gas, potentially increasing carbon emissions, according to USTMA.

“While the USTMA continues to work with the EPA, we support Congressional action to undo this final rule to limit the deleterious effects on the US tire manufacturing industry, the environment and the US economy,” the association said.