Title 42, The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-102
§7423 Stack Heights
Title 42 › CHAPTER 85 — AIR POLLUTION PREVENTION AND CONTROL › SUBCHAPTER I — PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES › Part A — Air Quality and Emission Limitations › § 7423
Full Legal Text
Title 42, §7423
The Public Health and Welfare, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)The degree of emission limitation required for control of any air pollutant under an applicable implementation plan under this subchapter shall not be affected in any manner by—
(1)so much of the stack height of any source as exceeds good engineering practice (as determined under regulations promulgated by the Administrator), or
(2)any other dispersion technique.
(b)For the purpose of this section, the term “dispersion technique” includes any intermittent or supplemental control of air pollutants varying with atmospheric conditions.
(c)Not later than six months after August 7, 1977, the Administrator, shall after notice and opportunity for public hearing, promulgate regulations to carry out this section. For purposes of this section, good engineering practice means, with respect to stack heights, the height necessary to insure that emissions from the stack do not result in excessive concentrations of any air pollutant in the immediate vicinity of the source as a result of atmospheric downwash, eddies and wakes which may be created by the source itself, nearby structures or nearby terrain obstacles (as determined by the Administrator). For purposes of this section such height shall not exceed two and a half times the height of such source unless the owner or operator of the source demonstrates, after notice and opportunity for public hearing, to the satisfaction of the Administrator, that a greater height is necessary as provided under the preceding sentence. In no event may the Administrator prohibit any increase in any stack height or restrict in any manner the stack height of any source.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
Section effective Aug. 7, 1977, except as otherwise expressly provided, see section 406(d) of Pub. L. 95–95, set out as an
Effective Date
of 1977 Amendment note under section 7401 of this title.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
42 U.S.C. § 7423
Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare
Last Updated
Aug 21, 2026
Release point: 119-102