1

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

Best Available Retrofit Technology Determination

Facility Syracuse Energy Corporation

Location Geddes, NY

Onondaga County

Permit ID 7-3132-00052

Source Category Fossil-fuel fired steam electric plant of 

more than 250 mmBtu/hr heat input

I. Introduction

The above referenced facility contains at least one emission source that falls under the 

requirements of the federal Best Available Retrofit Technology (BART) rule under 40 CFR Part 

51 and Appendix Y, and the New York State BART regulation as codified under 6 NYCRR Part 

249. These requirements affect an emission source which fulfills the following criteria:

1. Falls within one of 26 specific source categories,

2. Was not in operation prior to August 7, 1962 and was in existence on August 7, 1977, or 

underwent reconstruction between August 7, 1962 and August 7, 1977, and

3. Has a potential to emit (collectively, with other emission sources at the facility which 

fulfill items 1 and 2) of 250 tons per year or more of any visibility-impairing pollutant.

Emission sources that are deemed eligible by the above criteria may be exempted by the BART 

analysis through several means, as follows:

1. A permit condition may be accepted which restricts the eligible source’s potential to emit 

to less than 250 tons per year for each visibility-impairing pollutant, as per Part 

249.1(c)(1).

2. A permit condition may be accepted that requires the source to permanently shut down 

the unit by January 1, 2014, as per Part 249.1(c)(2).

3. The facility may show through modeling or other means acceptable to the Department 

that it does not or will not emit any combination of visibility-impairing pollutants that 

results in a visibility impairment equal to or greater than 0.1 deciviews in any federal 

Class I area, as per Part 249.1(c)(3).

II. Proposed BART Compliance Method

The Syracuse Energy Corporation facility contains one eligible unit (“Unit 1”). This is a 

pulverized coal-fired boiler of greater than 250 mmBtu per hour heat input. Syracuse Energy

submitted a letter, dated September 22, 2010, to the Department regarding the BART eligibility

of Unit 1. This letter declared their intention to either accept NESCAUM/Department visibility

modeling results if they showed an insignificant impact as per 249.1(c)(2), or otherwise shut 

down the boiler as allowed by Part 249.1(c)(3).
2

In early 2010, the Department requested emissions data from BART-eligible facilities in order to 

update earlier NESCAUM modeling results which did not completely adhere to EPA and 

Department modeling protocol. Syracuse Energy submitted the requested data, but a lack of 

NESCAUM information on this unit prevented the Department from doing a direct scaling of 

visibility impacts. It was, however, possible to approximate this unit’s impact by comparing 

emissions to other facilities in the central New York region for which visibility impacts were 

known. These results indicated that the visibility impairment resulting from this unit’s emissions 

would exceed the 0.1 deciview contribution threshold set by the Department. Syracuse Energy

declined the option to conduct more refined visibility modeling of its own. 

III. BART Determination

Because the available data cannot conclusively place the visibility impacts of Unit 1 below the 

0.1 deciview exemption threshold, the Department is accepting Syracuse Energy’s decision to 

shut down this unit by January 1, 2014, in compliance with Part 249.1(c)(2). 

This determination was submitted to the Federal Land Managers (FLMs) for their review in 

accordance with Regional Haze State Implementation Plan (SIP) requirements. Comments 

received from the FLMs on this determination, if any, will be included with its submission to 

EPA. The Department is now working to expeditiously modify this facility’s Title V permit to 

include the enforceable BART determination. These permit modifications will be submitted to 

the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as SIP revisions once complete.