Acid Rain Program: Revisions to Permits, Allowance System, Sulfur Dioxide Opt-Ins, Continuous Emission Monitoring, Excess Emissions, and Appeal Procedures

Title IV of the Clean Air Act authorizes the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or the Agency) to establish the Acid Rain Program. The purposes of the Acid Rain Program is to significantly reduce emissions of sulfur dioxides and nitrogen oxides from utility electric generating plants in order to reduce the adverse health and ecological impacts of acidic deposition (or acid rain) resulting from such emissions. On January 11 and March 23, 1993, the Agency promulgated final rules governing permitting, the allowance system, continuous emissions monitoring, excess emissions, and appeal procedures. On October 24, 1997, EPA published final revisions to those rules. This action corrects certain inadvertent, drafting errors in the October 24, 1997 document.