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Proposed amendments to the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP): Ethylene Oxide (EtO) Emissions Standards for Sterilization Facilities Residual Risk and Technology Review Reconsideration

Public Hearing on EPA's Proposed amendments to the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP): Ethylene Oxide (EtO) Emissions Standards for Sterilization Facilities Residual Risk and Technology Review Reconsideration

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hold a virtual public hearing on April 1, 2026, to provide the public the opportunity to present comments and information regarding the Agency’s proposed amendments to the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP): Ethylene Oxide (EtO) Emissions Standards for Sterilization Facilities Residual Risk and Technology Review Reconsideration. 

  • As a result of the EPA Administrator’s March 12 announcement, EPA is proposing that the Biden-Harris Administration never had the statutory authority under the Clean Air Act (CAA) to conduct a second risk review of the EtO Commercial Sterilizers NESHAP. In line with Congressional intent, EPA’s proposal would remove the standards from the Biden-era review, and which justified the 2024 rule. 

  • EPA is proposing amendments to several aspects of the rule in response to feedback from industry, including: 

  • The removal of risk-based standards promulgated under CAA section 112(f)(2) for sterilizer chamber vents, aeration room vents, chamber exhaust vents, Group 1, and Group 2 room air emissions; 

  • The reduction of emission limits, from 99.9 to 99.6 percent reduction, for new source aeration room vents at facilities where EtO use is 10 tons per year (tpy) or more; and 

  • The removal of the continuous emission monitoring systems (CEMS) requirement as the only compliance method for facilities that use at least 100 pound per year (lb/yr) of EtO; 

  • Instead, all facilities, regardless of the amount of EtO used, will be able to choose between CEMS and continuous parametric monitoring systems and performance testing.  

  • The removal of the requirement for facilities to use permanent total enclosure to capture EtO to comply with the emission reduction standards. 


Date and Time
April 1, 2026, 11am-3pm Eastern Time 

Location
Online Virtual Platform

If you have any questions about the hearing or need help registering, please email: EtO-CommSteril-2026-PublicHearing@rti.org.

Registration                                                                                                 
The last day to pre-register is March 29, 2026. Please submit a separate registration form for each person attending or speaking. You will receive an email from EtO-CommSteril-2026-PublicHearing@rti.org with your unique connection information. 

Note: EPA will use your registration information solely for this event. If you register to speak, we will post your name and affiliation as part of the hearing agenda. No other information you provide, such as contact or personal information, will be included on the hearing agenda or shared with any third party.

Reasonable Accommodation Request
If you need a reasonable accommodation, please contact the Public Hearing Team by email: NRDpublichearing@epa.gov or by telephone: 888-372-8699. We must receive this request by March 24, 2026. After this date, we may not be able to arrange accommodations.

EPA will take written comment on the proposal until May 1, 2026.
 
EPA considers all comments equally, whether submitted in writing to the docket or given orally at a public hearing. Each speaker will have 4 minutes to speak. If time allows, EPA will provide an opportunity for public hearing attendees, who did not preregister, to provide oral testimony.

Public Hearing Information
Hearing Date: April 1, 2026
The hearing day will consist of two sessions:
· Session 1: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM (Eastern Time)
· Session 2: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM (Eastern Time)

This meeting will be held through a virtual platform. A link to the meeting and any additional instructions will be sent to your email address after registration closes. There is also an option to call into the meeting; that information will be provided after registration closes.

Additional Information/Questions
To read the proposal and fact sheets, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/stationary-sources-air-pollution/ethylene-oxide-emissions-standards-sterilization-facilities.
 
If you have any questions about the hearing or need help registering, please email our hearing coordinators at: EtO-CommSteril-2026-PublicHearing@rti.org , or contact the Public Hearing Team by email: NRDpublichearing@epa.gov; or by telephone: 888-372-8699.
 
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