On March 20, 2026, EPA proposed a rule to ease Clean Air Act (CAA) requirements for air curtain incinerators (ACIs) that burn “wood wastes, yard wastes, and clean lumber.” EPA stated its new rule would “allow this type of ACI to operate without a Title V permit unless the unit is located at a facility that otherwise requires one.”
EPA also proposed finalizing its interim final rule from August 2025. If finalized, commercial and industrial solid waste incinerators would be permitted to “combust debris from a qualifying disaster or emergency on a temporary basis without complying with (CAA) section 129 requirements that would otherwise apply.” EPA Administrator, Lee Zeldin, stated the proposal “would speed up disaster recovery efforts and allow state, local, and tribal leaders . . . to safely clean up their communities.”
Public comments can be submitted until May 4, 2026.