What are the requirements for temporary-use incinerators and air curtain incinerators used in disaster recovery?

40 C.F.R. § 60.3061

in effect

Your incinerator or air curtain incinerator is excluded from the requirements of this subpart if it is used on a temporary basis to combust debris from a disaster or emergency such as a tornado, hurricane, flood, ice storm, high winds, or act of bioterrorism. To qualify for this exclusion, the incinerator or air curtain incinerator must be used to combust debris in an area declared a State of Emergency by a local or State government, or the President, under the authority of the Stafford Act, has declared that an emergency or a major disaster exists in the area, and you must follow the requirements specified in paragraphs (a) through (c) of this section. (a) If the incinerator or air curtain incinerator is used during a period that begins on the date the unit started operation and lasts 8 weeks or less within the boundaries of the same emergency or disaster declaration area, then it is excluded from the requirements of this subpart. You do not need to notify the Administrator of its use or meet the emission limitations or other requirements of this subpart. (b) If the incinerator or air curtain incinerator will be used during a period that begins on the date the unit started operation and lasts more than 8 weeks within the boundaries of the same emergency or disaster declaration area, you must notify the Administrator that the temporary-use incinerator or air curtain incinerator will be used for more than 8 weeks and request permission to continue to operate the unit as specified in paragraphs (b)(1) and (2) of this section. (1) The notification must be submitted in writing by the date 8 weeks after you start operation of the temporary-use incinerator or air curtain incinerator within the boundaries of the current emergency or disaster declaration area. (2) The notification must contain the date the incinerator or air curtain incinerator started operation within the boundaries of the current emergency or disaster declaration area, identification of the disaster or emergency for which the incinerator or air curtain incinerator is being used, a description of the types of materials being burned in the incinerator or air curtain incinerator, a brief description of the size and design of the unit (for example, an air curtain incinerator or a modular starved-air incinerator), the reasons the incinerator or air curtain incinerator must be operated for more than 8 weeks, and the amount of time for which you request permission to operate including the date you expect to cease operation of the unit. (c) If you submitted the notification containing the information in paragraph (b)(2) by the date specified in paragraph (b)(1), you may continue to operate the incinerator or air curtain incinerator for another 8 weeks, which is a total of 16 weeks from the date the unit started operation within the boundaries of the current emergency or disaster declaration area. You do not have to meet the emission limitations or other requirements of this subpart during this period. (1) At the end of 16 weeks from the date the incinerator or air curtain incinerator started operation within the boundaries of the current emergency or disaster declaration area, you must cease operation of the unit or comply with all requirements of this subpart, unless the Administrator has approved in writing your request to continue operation. (2) If the Administrator has approved in writing your request to continue operation, then you may continue to operate the incinerator or air curtain incinerator within the boundaries of the current emergency or disaster declaration area until the date specified in the approval, and you do not need to comply with any other requirements of this subpart during the approved time period.

Source: ecfr_bulkFetched: 7/26/2026

Source: eCFR APIURL: https://www.ecfr.gov/api/versioner/v1/full/2024-07-01/title-40.xml?part=60Fetched: 5/31/2026