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The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) published a March 20th Federal Register Notice announcing a final rule establishing editorial and technical revisions to:

Method 301 “Field Validation of Pollutant Measurement Methods from Various Waste Media” (“Revisions”)

See 83 Fed. Reg. 12118.

Method 301 was originally published on December 29, 1992, as a field validation protocol method to be used to validate new test methods for hazardous air pollutants in support of the Early Reduction Program of Part 63 when existing test methods were inapplicable.

In 1994 the federal agency incorporated Method 301 into 40 CFR 63.7 to provide procedures for validating candidate test methods as an alternative to the test method specified in a standard or test for use when no test method is provided in a standard.

The March 20th Federal Register preamble provides an explanation of the Method 301 procedures, use in compliance demonstrations, and addresses the issue of “Bias (or systemic error).”

EPA states that the Revisions clarify its applicability to Parts 63 and 65 and use in validating alternative test methods under other parts of Title 40 of the Clean Air Act.

A copy of the Federal Register Notice can be downloaded here.