NATA Comments on EPA-proposed Effluent Limitation Guidelines for Deicing

Alexandria, VA, February 26, 2010 - The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) has formally submitted comments to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the proposed Effluent Limitation Guidelines (ELG) for deicing activities.

The proposed ELG impose a national standard for the control of wastewater runoff from deicing activities at most primary commercial service airports. The proposed rules mandate a percentage of used deice fluid that must be collected and treated at affected airports.

"NATA is concerned that the EPA's one-size-fits-all approach to dealing with deicing runoff does not adequately account for the unique operations at our nation's commercial service airports," said NATA's Director of Regulatory Affairs Michael France. "The specialized operations of individual airports and the effect their efficient operation has on the national airspace system do not lend themselves to this type of standardized approach to environmental regulation."

In its comments, the association noted, "The issuance of (these standards) require airports to comply with specific facility, equipment and procedural mandates imposed by the EPA, an agency unfamiliar with and ill prepared to deal with the demanding nature of airport operations."

The EPA will now begin the process of reviewing comments and constructing a final rule.