SEMICONDUCTORINDUSTRYASSOCIATiON5IAIMay26,2011BYEMAILMr.ReidHarveyActingDirector,ClimateChangeDivisionUSEPAHeadquartersArielRiosBuilding1200PennsylvaniaAvenue,N.W.MailCode:6207JWashington,DC20460Re:EPADocket#EPA-HQ-OAR-2009-0927TheSemiconductorIndustryAssociation(SIA)submitsthisletterinsupportoftheanticipatedproposalbytheEnvironmentalProtectionAgency(EPA)tomakelimited,short-termrevisionstotheMandatoryReportingofGreenhouseGases:AdditionalSourcesofFluorinatedGHGs,codifiedat40C.F.R.Part98FinalSubpartI.SIAhasfiledbothapetitionforreviewandpetitionforreconsiderationraisingvariousfeasibility,costandconfidentialityissueswiththecurrentFinalSubpartI.Overthelastseveralmonths,SIAandEPAhavebeenengagedindiscussionstoexplorearesolutionofthismatter.SIAhasproposedthatEPAreviseSubpartItoprovidefacilitieswithamenuofoptionsasanalternativetotheexistingmethodcontainedinthefinalruleandhascommittedtogatherdatasufficienttodemonstratetheviabilityoftheseoptions.SIAappreciatesEPA'swillingnesstosupportthiseffortbyusingitsSection307(d)(7)(B)authoritytoextendtheJune30BAMMdeadlines,whileengaginginanexpeditedrulemakingtoprovidesemiconductorfacilitieswithlimited,short-termflexibilityforreportingyears2011and2012.ThisapproachshouldprovideSIAanditsmemberssufficienttimetogatherdataonalternativereportingmethodsforpotentialinclusioninarevisedFinalSubpartI.AsdiscussedwithEPAduringourmeetingsofJanuary11and24,March15,andMay11and12,thealternativesbeingproposedbySIAarethefollowing:•Etchprocesssubcategoriesanddefaultemissionsfactors•Abatement•StacktestingSIAanditsmembercompanies,incollaborationwithtechnicalsupportfromtheInternationalSematechManufacturingInitiative(lSMI),areimplementingaworkplanunderarobustscheduletocollectandanalyzedataoneachproposedalternative.Thefollowingisabriefsummaryoftheworkplanforeachproposedalternative.1.EtchprocesssubcategoriesanddefaultemissionsfactorsTodevelopthisalternative,SIA,itsmembers,andISMIarecollectingandanalyzingexistingetchemissionscharacterizationdatatoidentifyappropriateetchcategories,asdescribedintheRefinedMethodoptionanalyzedintheSubpartIfinalruleTechnicalSupport Document(TSD),anddevelopdefaultemissionfactors.Ourgrouphasidentified1500-2000300mmetchdatapointsandover500 200mmdatapointsandweareevaluatingapproximately20dataparametersinthisprocess.WeanticipatethatwewillprovideEPAwithananalysisofthe300mmdatabyJuly1,2011andananalysisofthe200mmdatabyJuly15,2011.TheSIAgroupwillusethisdatatoidentifysub-processlevelcategoriesthatarerepresentativeofprocessemissions,provideaninitialestimateofdefaultemissionsfactorsforeachcategory,anddeterminewhat,ifany,additionaldatacollectionworkisrequiredtovalidatethatthedefaultfactorsarerepresentativeofeachidentifiedetchcategory.Thisapproachisprojectedtoachieveaccuracyinemissionsreportingcomparabletotheproxy2dmethodestablishedinthefinalrulewithprecisionimprovementsoverthe2band2cmethods,whileminimizingSIA'sconcernsabouttechnicalinfeasibility,cost,anddisclosureofconfidentialbusinessinformation.ItisSIA'sintenttocompleteaccuracyandprecisioncharacterizationsontheproposedcategoriesanddefaultfactorswhencomparedtotheIPCCtier2b,tier2c,andtier3methods(Tier3willactasaproxyforthecomparisontotheproxy2dmethodproposedinthefinalsubpartIregulation),aswellasasensitivityanalysisoftheimpactofchangesintheemissionsfactorsontheestimateoftheemissionsforafacility.2.DirectEstimationofEmissionsBasedonUseAllocationandApplicationofAbatementUnitDestructionEfficiency(ORE)Forthosefacilitieswithasignificantnumberofabatementunits,theSIAgroupisworkingtotestabatementunitdestructionefficienciesforallgastypestreatedandapplydestructionefficienciesdirectlytoallocatedemissions.Weareintheprocessofidentifyingfacilitieswithabatementsystemsandanalyzingtheimpactofthisapproach.OurgoalistoprovideEPAwithdataonthisalternativebySeptember2011,asworktocomparetheaccuracy,precisionandsensitivityofthisalternativedependsondevelopmentoftheetchemissionscategoriesdiscussedinitem1.3.StackTestingSIAisworkingtoobtaindatathatwillallowEPAtovalidatestacktestingpursuanttoMethod301basedonthetwoacceptedanalyticalmethodsforF-gasanalysis,FTIRandGC-MS.SIAisevaluatingthedatacollectedtodate,aswellasconductingadditionalteststhataredesignedtodeterminethemostappropriatecombinationofsamplepointlocations,samplingfrequencies,collectionoffaboperatingdata,andanalyticalmethodology,toachievehighqualityemissionestimates.Theseevaluationsarebeingconductedatseveralfabsduringnormaloperatingconditions.SIAisalsoworkingwithanalyticallaboratoriestodevelopanalyticalmethodvalidationworkplans.UponobtainingEPA'sconcurrencewiththeseworkplans,SIAwillthencompletethevalidationeffortpursuanttotheseworkplans.Likewise,asthepilottestdatabecomesavailable,SIAintendstoworkwithEPAtorefinethemethodologyforusingproductiondatainconjunctionwithstacksamplingresultstoproduceannualemissionsestimates.WeanticipatethatbyJune30,2011,SIAwillhavepresentedtheresultsofthepilottestingtoEPA.Additionally,weproposetosubmitEPAMethod301validationworkplanstoEPAbyJune15,2011.WehopetohavetheAgency'sconcurrenceonthemethodvalidationworkplansbyJune30,andwethenanticipatethatbySeptember2011,SIAwillhavemadesubstantialprogresstowarddemonstratingstacktestingasanalternativemethod.+ ++WeappreciateEPA'songoingandconstructivediscussionswithusto explorethesealternativesandwebelievethat,giventheadditionaltimeprovidedbytheexpeditedrulemakingtoworkontheseoptions,wecandevelopalternativereportingmethodsthatEPAcanconsiderforinclusioninanewfinalrule.Sincerely,DavidIsaacsVicePresident,GovernmentPolicy