The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency met a court-ordered deadline and has issued new rules for commercial boilers and solid waste incinerators, but at the same time said the new rules were being reconsidered.

A federal court had ordered the EPA to issue Clean Air Act standards for the boilers – maximum achievable control technology, or Boiler MACT for short – in response to a 10-year-old lawsuit brought by environmentalists against the EPA. The government had requested an additional 15 months to redraft its proposed rule, but was only granted 30 days.

The rule issued this week differs so greatly from the proposals, which had garnered more than 4,800 public comments, that the EPA said it wants to reconsider its final standards immediately.

"Because the final standards significantly differ from the proposals, EPA believes further public review is required. Therefore, EPA will reconsider the final standards under a Clean Air Act process that allows the agency to seek additional public review and comment to ensure full transparency," according to an agency press release.

The EPA will soon seek public comment on new emissions standards for large and small boilers and for solid waste incinerators.

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