Wis. Stat. § 285.27 — WI Code / Chapter 285 / Section 285.27
Performance and emission standards.
Status: in_force

(1) Standards of performance for new stationary sources.

(a) Similar to federal standard. If a standard of performance for new stationary sources is promulgated under section 111 of the federal clean air act, the department shall promulgate by rule a similar emission standard, including administrative requirements that are consistent with the federal administrative requirements, but this standard may not be more restrictive in terms of emission limitations than the federal standard except as provided under sub. (4) .

(b) Standard to protect public health or welfare. If a standard of performance for any air contaminant for new stationary sources is not promulgated under section 111 of the federal clean air act, the department may promulgate an emission standard of performance for new stationary sources if the department finds the standard is needed to provide adequate protection for public health or welfare.

(c) Restrictive standard. The department may impose a more restrictive emission standard of performance for a new stationary source than the standard promulgated under par. (a) or (b) on a case-by-case basis if a more restrictive emission standard is needed to meet the applicable lowest achievable emission rate under s. 285.63 (2) (b) or to install the best available control technology under s. 285.63 (3) (a) .

(2) Emission standards for hazardous air contaminants.

(a) Similar to federal standard. If an emission standard for a hazardous air contaminant is promulgated under section 112 of the federal clean air act, the department shall promulgate by rule a similar standard, including administrative requirements that are consistent with the federal administrative requirements, but this standard may not be more restrictive in terms of emission limitations than the federal standard except as provided under sub. (4) .

(b) Standard to protect public health or welfare. If an emission standard for a hazardous air contaminant is not promulgated under section 112 of the federal clean air act, the department may promulgate an emission standard for the hazardous air contaminant if the department finds the standard is needed to provide adequate protection for public health or welfare. The department may not make this finding for a hazardous air contaminant unless the finding is supported with written documentation that includes all of the following:

1. A public health risk assessment that characterizes the types of stationary sources in this state that are known to emit the hazardous air contaminant and the population groups that are potentially at risk from the emissions.

2. An analysis showing that members of population groups are subjected to levels of the hazardous air contaminant that are above recognized environmental health standards or will be subjected to those levels if the department fails to promulgate the proposed emission standard for the hazardous air contaminant.

3. An evaluation of options for managing the risks caused by the hazardous air contaminant considering risks, costs, economic impacts, feasibility, energy, safety, and other relevant factors, and a finding that the chosen compliance alternative reduces risks in the most cost-effective manner practicable.

4. A comparison of the emission standards for hazardous air contaminants in this state to hazardous air contaminant standards in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, and Ohio.

(c) Restrictive standard. The department may impose a more restrictive emission standard for a hazardous air contaminant than the standard promulgated under par. (a) or (b) on a case-by-case basis if a more restrictive standard is needed to meet the applicable lowest achievable emission rate under s. 285.63 (2) (b) or to install the best available control technology under s. 285.63 (3) (a) .

(d) Emissions regulated under federal law. Emissions limitations promulgated under par. (b) and related control requirements do not apply to hazardous air contaminants emitted by emissions units, operations, or activities that are regulated by an emission standard promulgated under section 112 of the federal clean air act, including a hazardous air contaminant that is regulated under section 112 of the federal clean air act by virtue of regulation of another substance as a surrogate for the hazardous air contaminant or by virtue of regulation of a species or category of hazardous air contaminants that includes the hazardous air contaminant.

(3) Limitation on imposition of emission standards. The department may not impose emission standards on a coal-powered car ferry that was manufactured before 1954 and has operated only on Lake Michigan if the coal-powered car ferry does not burn coal with a higher sulfur content than the coal burned before May 2, 1990.

(3m) Exemption from standards for certain combustion turbines.

(a) In this subsection, “combustion turbine” means a simple cycle combustion turbine.

(b) The performance standards promulgated by the department under s. NR 428.04 (2) (g) 1. a. and 2. a. , Wis. Adm. Code, do not apply to a combustion turbine that undergoes a modification on or after February 1, 2001 if all of the following apply:

1. The department and the federal environmental protection agency find that the owner or operator of the combustion turbine has satisfactorily demonstrated that equipping the turbine with a dry low nitrogen oxide combustion system is not technologically or economically feasible or a dry low nitrogen oxide combustion system is not commercially available from the manufacturer of the combustion turbine.

2. The federal environmental protection agency concurs, in writing, with the department’s finding under subd. 1.

3. The owner or operator of the combustion turbine controls nitrogen oxide emissions during operation of the combustion turbine by injecting water into the combustion turbine according to the manufacturer’s specifications.

4. The concentration of nitrogen oxide emitted from the combustion turbine does not exceed 25 parts per million dry volume, corrected to 15 percent oxygen, on a 30 day rolling average basis during combustion of gaseous fuels and does not exceed 65 parts per million dry volume, corrected to 15 percent oxygen, on a 30 day rolling average basis during combustion of distillate fuels.

(c) The department shall determine whether a combustion turbine undergoes a modification under par. (b) in accordance with s. NR 428.04 (1) , Wis. Adm. Code.

(4) Impact of change in federal standards. If the standards of performance for new stationary sources or the emission standards for hazardous air contaminants under the federal clean air act are relaxed, the department shall alter the corresponding state standards unless it finds that the relaxed standards would not provide adequate protection for public health and welfare. The department may not make this finding for an emission standard for a hazardous air contaminant unless the finding is supported with the written documentation required under sub. (2) (b) 1. to 4. This subsection applies to state standards of performance for new stationary sources and emission standards for hazardous air contaminants in effect on April 30, 1980, if the relaxation in the corresponding federal standards occurs after April 30, 1980.

(5) Residential and commercial wood heaters.

(a) In this subsection, “residential or commercial wood heater” means an enclosed wood-burning appliance intended for residential or commercial use to heat the space in which it is located or to heat water for domestic or commercial use, including an appliance that is designed to burn pellets made of wood.

(b) Notwithstanding sub. (1) , the department may not promulgate a rule, or enforce a federal regulation, that specifies a new source performance standard or other emission standard for residential or commercial wood heaters that is more stringent than any new source performance standard for residential or commercial wood heaters in effect on December 31, 2014.

History: 1995 a. 227 s. 474 , 989 ; 2003 a. 118 ; 2013 a. 91 ; 2013 a. 151 s. 28 ; 2015 a. 303 .