HARVAR D UNIVERSIT Y

UNIVERSIT

Y OPERATION

S SERVICE

S ENVIRONMENTA

L HEALT H AN D SAFET Y Cambridge/Allston Campus Februar y 20 , 200 4
Kare n L
. Rega s Attention : 31 0 CM R7.0

0 Comment

s DEP/BWP/Busines s Complianc e Divisio n M A Departmen

t o f Environmenta

l Protectio n On e Winte r Street, 8 t hFloo r Boston , M A 0210 8 Re : Propose

d Changes t

o Regulations 31 0 CM R7, et . seq . Dea r Ms
. Regas : Th e Environmenta

l Healt h & Safet y (EHS ) Departmen

t o f Harvar dUniversit

y i s please

d t o offe r th e followin g comment

s wit h regar

d t o th e referenced actio n b y th

e Massachusett

s Departmen

t o f Environmenta

l Protectio n (M A DEP)
. A s yo u ma y know , Harvar

dUniversit

y acquired th

e Blackston

e Plan t i n Apri l o f

2003
. Th e Blackston

e Plan t primaril y consists o f

fou r boiler s tha

t ar e fire do n bot h natura l ga s an d No
. 6 Fue l Oil
. O f

th e existin g boiler s operating a t Blackstone , tw o wer

e installe di n 193 0 (19 4 MMBtu/h r

each ) an d tw o wer

e installe di n 196

3 (28 6 MMBtu/h r

each)
. Bot

h boiler s predat

e NSP S requirements
. Base

d o n th e operating histor

y o f th e recentl y acquire d Blackstone Plant , EH& S i s requesting tha t th e propose d 31 0 CM R7.06( 1 )(c ) opacit y standar d b e modifie dto allo w fo r

occasional , brief

, unavoidable opacit

y excursions
. Sinc e Harvard' s acquisitio n o f th e Blackstone Plant , w

e hav e aggressivel

y pursue d modification s t

o eliminat

e opacit y excursions , includin g recommendation s o f athir d part y combustion exper

t wh o developed a

n opacit y reductio n plan
. A s ou

r opacit y reduction pla

n outlines , Harvar

d ha s completed measure

s tha t include : optimizatio n o f soo t blowin g sequencing , third-part y revie w an

d optimizatio n o f

soo t blowin g pressures , modificatio n t

o soo t blowin g cycl e times , increase d operato r trainin g an

d awarenes s an

d decrease d interval s o f

soo t blowin g operations
. I n ligh t o f thes e improvements , th

e Blackston e Plan t stil l find s th

e curren t opacit y limit s onerou s durin g unavoidable plan t operation s suc

h a s start-up , testing , calibrations , operationa l upse t an d soo t blowing
. Give n th e necessit y o f these operations , EH& S request s tha t th e DE P consider

s a n exemption simila

r to th e proposa l submitte d Februar

y 11 , 200 4 b y Genera

l Electri c Compan y allowin g u

p t o tw o 6-minut

e bloc k period s pe

r hour , a s lon g a s th e on e hou r averag e i s belo w 27%
. I n addition , EH& S request s tha t M A DE P creat e a n exemption fro mth e 27 % opacit

y limi t fo r schedule d testin g an

d calibration s whe

n M A DE P i s informe d2

4 hour s prio r t o th e schedule

d event
. Te l 617.495.206 0 4 6 Oxfor dStree

t Fa x 617.495.059 3 Cambridge , M A 0213 8 www.uos.harvard.edu/ehs /Additionally , EH& S request s th e eliminatio n o f

th e propose dparagrap

h 7.06(l)(c)4
. I t

i s EHS ' opinio n tha

t afacilit y subject

t o th e mos t stringen t oversigh t b y virtu e o f

31 0 CMR 7.0 0 Appendi x C shoul dnot b e require dt

o mak e notificatio n withi n asingl e busines s day , whil e facilitie s regularl y exceedin g 31 0 CMR7.06(l)(a ) an d(b ) limit s hav

e n o suc h obligation
. A s yo u know , pursuan t to Appendix C , these exceedances mus t b e reported to th e M A DE P on asemi-annua

l basis
. Than k you fo r th e opportunit

y to commen

t an dI hop e M A DE P give s consideratio n an

d though t to these comments
. I f

yo u hav e an y question s o

r requir e clarification , please contac t m e anytim e a t (617 ) 496-3437
. Sincerely ,

Mile s Walke

r Environmenta

l Enginee r
CC : Jo e Griffin , Harvar

dUniversit

y EH& S