Many of you probably remember the days of loading up the Country Squire station wagon (or the Family Truckster for fans of National Lampoon’s Vacation, or minivan for the younger generation) for that childhood rite of passage—the cross-country family vacation. Some of you may have fond memories of joyous trips through picturesque countrysides and winding roads through the mountains with brief stops at roadside apple stands for fresh apples and jams or jellies. Most, however, would probably regale you with stories of trips that felt as if they would never end soon enough, ones with this familiar refrain being repeatedly voiced from the back seat . . . “Are we there yet?”
You might ask (and rightfully so) what this has to do with the Boiler MACT (which regulates emissions from commercial and industrial boilers and process heaters) and the CISWI rules (which regulate emissions from commercial and industrial solid waste incineration units). Well, the journey of these regulations brings to mind such cross-country family vacations, and not the joyous, picturesque kind, but instead the ones of legend, complete with yelling, quarreling, getting lost, asking for directions, turning around, and breaking down (and hopefully reaching the final destination). But quoting Dad's response from the front seat, "We're almost there" . . . whether or not that indeed was ever the case.