Environmental Protection Agency has indicated that the agency is attempting to revise its pending power plant effluent limitation guideline (ELG) and coal combustion residuals (CCR) disposal rules so that they better coordinate with each other to minimize the compliance burden they will place on the industry. During the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) conference, EPA Office of Water suggested that EPA is attempting to coordinate revisions of the two rules to minimize duplication and ease compliance. However, that effort is likely to be complicated by the fact that EPA has estimated that the new CCR rule will not be ready until 2014, yet it is facing a court order requiring it to issue revisions to the ELG by Dec. 15. EPA Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OWSER) has stated that any set deadline for finalizing the ELG will significantly impact the CCR rule and vice versa.
