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www.aimnet.or g ASSOCIATE D INDUSTRIE S O F MASSACHUSETT S BEDFORD BRIDGEWATER BURLINGTON HOLYOKE MARLBOROUGH WASHINGTON, D.C. Octobe r 28 , 200 5 Mr . Rober t T . Donaldso

n " ^CX_"c^ > Associat e Directo r " Burea u o f Wast e Preventio

n Departmen

t o f Environmenta

l Protectio n On e Winte r Street , 8t h Floo r Boston, M A 0210

8 RE : Comment

s t o Propose d Regulation

s 31 0 CM R7.0 0 - th e Contro l o f Ai r Pollution Dea r Mr . Donaldson : Associate d Industries o f

Massachusett

s (A.I.M. ) i s please

d to submi t th e followin g comment

s t o th e Departmen

t o f Environmenta

l Protection' s (DEP's ) Propose d Amendment

s t o 31 0 CM R7.0 0 - th e Contro l o f Air Pollution . A.I.M . i s th

e larges t employe r associatio n in Massachusett

s wit h ove r 760 0 members . A.I.M . member

s includ e larg e an dsmal l employer

s fro mth e industrial , commercia

l an d servic e sectors , includin

g man y peopl e affecte db y thi s propose

d rule . A.I.M. , throug

h aworkgrou

p o f it s members , ha

s bee n especiall y activ e i n th e developmen

t o f thes e regulations , especiall

y th e propose d regulatio n dealin g wit h arevise dopacit y standar d 31 0 CM R Th e origina l A.I.M . workgrou

p wa s convene d ove r seve n year s ago , t o addres s alega l technicalit

y involving th

e the n antiquate

d opacit y regulations —som

e source s coul dno t certif y complianc

e wit h th e the n existin g standar d du e t o routin e event s (startup/shutdow

n an dsootblowing) . Th

e certification wa

s require dunde r th e ne w 31 0 CM

R7.0 0 Appendi x C - Operatin

g Permi t Progra man dwa s no t du e t o an y enforcemen

t action s b y DEP . Approximatel

y 1 8 source

s wer e affectedb

y th e rule , generall

y industria

l source s burnin g No . 6 oil . After muc h discussion, th

e workgrou

p an dDE P cam e t o a n agreemen

t t o chang e th e regulatio n t o addres s thi s technicality . Th

e regulatio n wen t throug h th e appropriat

e public hearin

g proces s an

dwa s adopted. Tw o year s late r th e Environmenta

l Protectio n Agenc y (EPA ) decide d tha t th e ne w regulatio

n 31 0 CM R 7.061(l)(c ) didno

t mee t th e EP A standar d o f enforceabilit

y an ddeclare d i t void , throwing th

e Titl e V permit s fo r thes e source s int o turmoil . As aresult

, th e workgrou

p wa s reconvened. Althoug h th e visible emissio

n proble mpresent s itself durin g period s o f startup/shutdow

n o r sootblowing , no t al l source s hav e problem s durin g al l events . Som

e hav e problem s jus t onc e o r twic e ayea

r durin g star t u p o r shutdown s while other

s hav e problem s onl y durin g sootblowing . Developin

g asolutio n ha s no t bee n easy . Befor e commenting , A.I.M . woul dlik e t o exten d ou r thank s t o th e DE P fo r thei r effort s ove

r th e pas t severa l year s attemptin

g t o solv e thi s uniqu

e problem. Th

e mos t recen t proposa l clearl y show s tha t DE P ha s attempte d t o incorporat

e man y o f th e comment

s receive dove r pas t discussion

s an dmeeting s tha t A.I.M . ha s chaired . 7.06(lXc) .Man

y o f th e issue s brough t u p a t recen t A.I.M . hoste

d informationa

l meeting s o n thes e propose d rule s revolv e aroun d vaguel y worde d section s tha t requir e clarification , including :

• Explicitly statin

g tha t facilitie s ar

e entitle dt o exemption

s i n paragraph

s 7.06(l)(c) l .b . an

d 7.06(l)(c)l.c . durin

g th e sam e quarte r • Explicitly statin

g tha t 7.06(l)(c)l.b . an

d 7.06(l)(c)l. c ar

e applicabl

e o n ape r boiler, no t pe r facilit y basis . In additio n t o thes e clarifications , A.I.M . request s tha t DE P allow provisions fo r

limite duse

d boiler s tha t hav e potentiall

y mor e exceedenc

e opportunities becaus

e o f thei r frequen t startup/shutdown . Thes

e boiler s woul dno t b e abl e t o tak e advantag

e o f exemption

s base d o n apercentag

e o f runtime . Finally , A.I.M . stil l believes th e provisio n fo r a n approve d "Pla n o f Goo d Operatin g Practice " i s overl

y complicate d an d unnecessary . Becaus e o f th e extrem e technica l natur e o f thes e regulation

s an d site-specific issue

s relatin g t o th e proposal , excep

t fo r th e abov e genera l comment

s A.I.M . wil l defe

r t o th e individua

l commenter

s for thei r specifi c concern s rathe r tha n restat e ever y point . Overall , A.I.M . i s encourage d b y th e progres s tha

t ha s bee n mad e wit h th e conten t o f thes e draf t regulation s ove r previous drafts . W

e hop e tha t DE P wil l striv

e t o incorporat

e an y comment

s receive d int o final regulation

s s o tha t onc e an d fo r al l th e opacit y issu e ca n b e solved . A.I.M . appreciate

s th e opportunit

y t o commen t o n thes e propose d regulations an

d look s forwar dt o continue d discussio

n o n thes e matters . Sincerely ,

Rober t A . Rio , Esq . Vic e Presiden

t Governmen

t Affair s RAR:g m