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# OAR Box 1778 Prepped by Ollie Stewart



### Document

Number: 

# 19 ) ll-A- 3
Docket Number: 

# A-90-0 6

Printed 10/28/20089:50:52 AM Sheet 19of 276P. 2


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SUBJECT : FROM :
TO : UNITE D STATE S ENVIRONMENTA L PROTECTIO N AGENCY

Offic e o f Ai rQualityPlannin g an d Standard s Researc h Triangl e Park , Nort h Carolin a 2771 1 

# m 9199 0 ffl m [2(2

II-A- 3 Preventio no f Significan t Deterioratio n(PSD ) Progra m Statistics Gar y McCutchen , Chie f New Sourc e Revie w

Sectio n(MD Nanc y Ket e (ANR-443 ) 

# -irfpf

Th e Clea nAi r Ac t applie s PS D requirement s t o new^sojjjices-terfge r eithe r 10 0 ton s pe r yea r (tpy ) [f° r certai nsourc e categories , suc ha s iro n an dstee l mill s and powe r plants ] o r 25 0 tpy [fo r al l othe r sources ] an d t o majo r modification s [physica l o r operationa l change s t o a nexistin g majo r sourc e whic hresul t i na significan t ne t emission s increase] . Th e PS Drule s allo w source s proposin g t o modif y a nemission s uni t t o avoi dreview provide d th e change :

i s no t considere da physica l chang e o r chang e i nth e metho do f operatio no f th e sourc e accordin g t o EPA' s lis t o f exclusion s fro m th e PS Ddefinitio no f majo r modificatio n(e.g. , routin e repair , replacement , an

dmaintenance) ; o r . . i s mino r (i.e. , th e ne t emission s increas e a t th e sourc e fall s below significan t emission s level s - suc hlevel s var y from 0.000 4 tp

y fo r beryllium

t o 10 0 tp

y fo r CO) . New sourc e revie w

(NSR ) als o applie s t o majo r new source s (greate r tha n10 0 tpy ) an dmajo r modification s i ndesignate dnonattainmen t areas . Ther e ar e betwee n20,00 0 an d40,00 0 ai r pollutio npermit s issue deac h yea r b y Stat e and loca l agencie s an d EPA . Thes e includ e bot hconstructio nan d operatin g permits . O f these , abou t 1 percent , o r 20 0 t o 400 , ar e fo r majo r source s o r majo r modification s (referre dt o collectivel y a s "majo r sourc e permits") . Th e remainin g permit s are :

Net-out s - mino r source s whic hwoul dhav e bee nmajo r bu t nette dou t [use demissio ndecrease s t o cance l ou t emissio nincreases ] o f review ; Syntheti c minor s - source s whic hwoul dhave bee nmajo r bu t accepte d Federally-enforceabl e restriction s o nthei r emission s limits , operatin g rate , o r hour s o f operatio ns o tha t th e sourc e woul d operat e a s a mino r source ; Mino r ne w

source s - designate dt o operat e at les s tha neithe r th e 10 0 o r 25 0 tpy

threshold ;P. 3 

## V y •••*:

Mino r modification s - les s tha nth e "significan t ne t emission s increase " threshol dfo r a majo r modificatio na t a majo r sourc e an d an y increas e les s tha na majo r sourc e (10 0 o r 25 0 tpy ) at a mino r source ; an

d Renewal s - some agencie s requir e renewa l o f operatin g permit s periodicall y

(typicall y

ever y 5 years) . Th e firs t two type s o f non-majo r permits , net-out s an dsyntheti c minors , ar e alternative s t o NS Rallowe db y EP A regulations . Eachyear , som e 60 0 source s elec t on e o f thes e alternatives , twic e th e numbe r o f source s whic hg o throug hNSR . I

nfact , recen t dat a fronuthe Region s indicat e tha t the numbe r o f syntheti c minor s i s actuall y muc hlarger ; th e tota l numbe r o f syntheti c minor s reporte dby

onl y thre e Region s fo r 198 9 wa s mor e tha n600 . Th e 200-40 0 majo r sourc e permits , fro m EP A audi t data , ar e approximatel y two-third s PS Dan

done-thir dnonattainmen t NS Rsources . Therefore , o f th e averag e 30 0 majo r sourc e permit s pe r year , 20 0 wil l be PS D permits . I n addition , approximatel y two-third s o f th e majo r sourc e permit s ar e majo r modification s an

done-thir dar e new

sources . Therefore , approximatel y 13 5 o f th e 20 0 PS Dpermit s ar e majo r modifications . I t i s thi s populatio ntha t i s potentiall y

affecte dby

th e WEPC O decision . Base donEP

A an dStat e experience , th e followin g observation s canb e made . First , ten s o f thousand s o f routin e repair , replacement , an d maintenanc e action s ar e conducte deac hday ; thes e ar e no t require dt o obtai n an y permit s a t all . Second , typicall y fewe r tha ntw

o percen t o f al l th e permit s issue dqualif y a s majo r modifications . Third , o f these , onl y one thir d(1/ 2 o f 1 percen t o f th e tota l o f al l permit s issued ) ar e subjec t t o NSR ; th e remainde r selec t analternativ e t o NSR . Thi s amount s t o onl y a n approximat e 13 5 PS D majo r modificatio npermit s pe r year . Finally , considerin g th e larg e numbe r o f permit s grante deac hyear , thi s i s a ver y smal l percentage . Considerin g tha t th e curren t PS Drule s hav e bee ni nplac e fo r nearl y 1 0 years , th e numbe r o f source s impacte db y th e actual-to-potentia l compariso nha s bee nremarkabl y small . O f course , th e portion s o f emission s affecte di s muc hgreate r becaus e PS Dconcentrate s o nth e larges t sources ; PS D applie s t o a

nestimate d3 0 t o 9 0 percen t o f al l new emissions . Therefore , althoug hth e PS D program applie s t o a larg e portio no f new emissions , i t affect s onl y

a smal l numbe r o f sources , eac ho f whic hit i s importan t t o review .P. 4

PSD/NE W SOURC E REVIEW

PERMI T STATISTIC S Fo r a Typica l Yea r

20,000-40,00 0 Ai r Pollutio n Sourc e Permit s (Operatin g an d Construction ) Issuedpe r Yea r (30,00 0 average )

90 0 ( 3 percen t o f total ) Potentiall y

Majo r 30 0 ar e New Source s

60 0 ( 2 percen t o f total ) ar e Modification s 40 0 o f thes e Net-ou t o r Tak e Restriction s t o be Non-Majo r

20 0 (2/ 3 o f 1 percen t o f total ) ar e Majo r Modification s 6 5 ar e Nonattainmen t NS RMajo r Modification s

13 5 (1/ 2 o f 1 percen t o f total ) ar e PS D Majo r Modification s