Regulatory Impact Assessment of Proposed Effluent Guidelines and NESHAP for the Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Industry

摘要

The report has been prepared to comply with Executive Order 12866, which requires that federal agencies assess costs and benefits of each significant rule they propose or promulgate. The pulp and paper industry is the eighth largest manufacturing industry in the U.S. in terms of the value of goods shipped and third among the nondurables sector in sales. The products of this industry are used every day and involve many aspects of our lives. Approximately 200 companies are engaged in the manufacture of pulp, paper, and paperboard in the United States. These companies own and operate 565 facilities in 42 states. The pulp, paper, and paperboard industry is one of the largest users of water in the U.S.; because large quantities of water are used in making pulp and paper products, these mills recycle, treat and discharge large quantities of effluent water. The main categories of aquatic pollutants found in pulp and paper mill effluent are conventional pollutants, such as biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), and toxic pollutants such as chlorinated compounds. Conventional pollution abatement in the U.S. paper industry has focused on reducing solids and BOD.