Putting the Economics in Best Available Control Technology or Pollutants in the Air and Dollars to the Wind

This paper is a byproduct of a short course presented by the authors to the Texas Air Control Board (TACB) in December 1976. The course, Project Investment Analysis, was presented to a group of engineers and permit officers. During the course, one of the participants suggested a problem involving “Best Available Control Technology” in controlling emission from a petro-chemical processing plant. The authors suggested a net present value/annual cost approach. The problem was solved and the method which was developed is now a standard procedure with the TACB.