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* * * PUBLIC NOTICE * * * 

PALMDALE HYBRID POWER PROJECT 

ANNOUNCEMENT OF PROPOSED PERMIT, PUBLIC INFORMATION MEETING AND 

PUBLIC HEARING, AND REQUEST FOR PUBLIC COMMENT ON PROPOSED 

CLEAN AIR ACT PREVENTION OF SIGNIFICANT DETERIORATION PERMIT 

PERMIT APPLICATION NO. SE 09-01 

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides notice of, and requests 

public comment on, EPA’s proposed action relating to the Prevention of Significant 

Deterioration (PSD) permit application for the Palmdale Hybrid Power Project (Project). EPA is 

issuing a proposed PSD permit that would grant conditional approval, in accordance with the 

PSD regulations (40 CFR 52.21), to the City of Palmdale to construct and operate a 570 

megawatt (MW, nominal) electric generating facility. The address for the City of Palmdale is 

38300 Sierra Highway, Suite A, Palmdale, CA 93550. The proposed location for the Project is 

950 East Avenue M, Palmdale, California 93550. 

The proposed Project consists of two General Electric (GE) Frame 7FA natural gas-fired 

combustion turbine-generators (CTGs) rated at 154 megawatt (MW) each, two heat recovery 

steam generators (HRSGs), one steam turbine generator (STG) rated at 267 MW, and 251 acres 

of parabolic solar-thermal collectors with associated heat-transfer equipment with the capacity to 

provide up to 50 MW of supplemental energy. The Project will have an electrical output of 570 

MW (nominal) or 563 MW (net). The Project will be located on a parcel of land owned by the 

city of Palmdale, currently zoned for industrial use, in Los Angeles County. The approximately 

333-acre parcel is west of the northwest corner of Air Force Plant 42, and east of the intersection 

of Sierra Highway and East Avenue M. The City of Palmdale is located within the Antelope 

Valley Air Quality Management District. 

 

The proposed PSD permit for the Project would require the use of Best Available Control 

Technology (BACT) to limit emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), total 

particulate matter (PM), particulate matter under 10 micrometers (μm) in diameter (PM10), 

particulate matter under 2.5 (μm) in diameter (PM2.5), and greenhouse gases (GHG), to the 

greatest extent feasible. Air pollution emissions from the Project would not cause or contribute 

to violations of any National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for the pollutants 

regulated under the PSD permit. 

The emissions of other air pollutants from the proposed Project, including the pollutants for 

which the area is not meeting the NAAQS (and precursors that lead to the formation of such 

pollutants), are regulated by the Antelope Valley Air Quality Management District (District), 

which implements the Nonattainment New Source Review (NNSR) permitting program for this 

area. On May 13, 2010, the District issued a Final Determination of Compliance (FDOC) for the 

Project, which includes the District’s NNSR permit requirements. 
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Any interested person may submit written comments on EPA’s proposed PSD permit for the 

Project. All written comments on EPA’s proposed action must be received by EPA via email by 

September 14, 2011, or postmarked by September 14, 2011. Comments must be sent or 

delivered in writing to Lisa Beckham at one of the following addresses: 

E-mail: R9airpermits@epa.gov

U.S. Mail: Lisa Beckham (AIR-3) 

 U.S. EPA Region 9 

 75 Hawthorne Street 

 San Francisco, CA 94105-3901 

 Phone: (415) 972-3811 

Alternatively, written comments may be submitted to EPA at the Public Hearing for this matter 

that will be held on September 14, 2011, as described below. 

Comments should address the proposed permit and facility, including such matters as: 

1. The Best Available Control Technology (BACT) determinations; 

2. The effects, if any, on Class I areas; 

3. The effect of the proposed facility on ambient air quality; and 

4. The attainment and maintenance of the NAAQS. 

EPA will hold a Public Information Meeting for the purpose of providing interested parties with 

additional information and an opportunity for informal discussion of the proposed Project. The 

date, time and location of the Public Information Meeting are as follows: 

Date: September 14, 2011 

Time: 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. 

Location: Larry Chimbole Cultural Center 

 Manzanita Ballroom, 2nd Floor 

38350 Sierra Highway 

Palmdale, California 93550-4611 

Pursuant to 40 CFR 124.12, EPA also intends to hold a Public Hearing to provide the public with 

further opportunity to comment on the proposed permit. At this Public Hearing, any interested 

person may provide written or oral comments, in English or Spanish, and data pertaining to the 

proposed permit. The date, time and location of the Public Hearing are as follows: 

Date: September 14, 2011 

Time: 7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. 

Location: Larry Chimbole Cultural Center 

 Manzanita Ballroom, 2nd Floor 

38350 Sierra Highway 

Palmdale, California 93550-4611 
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English-Spanish translation services will be provided at both the Public Information Meeting and 

the Public Hearing. 

If you require a reasonable accommodation please contact Terisa Williams, EPA Region 9 

Reasonable Accommodations Coordinator, by August 31, 2011 at (415) 972-3829, or 

Williams.Terisa@epa.gov. 

All information submitted by the applicant is available as part of the administrative record. The 

proposed air permit, fact sheet/ambient air quality impact report, permit application and other 

supporting information are available on the EPA Region 9 website at 

http://www.epa.gov/region09/air/permit/r9-permits-issued.html#pubcomment. The 

administrative record may also be viewed in person, Monday through Friday (excluding federal 

holidays) from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, at the EPA Region 9 address above. Due to building 

security procedures, please call Lisa Beckham at (415) 972-3811 at least 24 hours in advance to 

arrange a visit. Hard copies of the administrative record can be mailed to individuals upon 

request in accordance with Freedom of Information Act requirements as described on the EPA 

Region 9 website at http://www.epa.gov/region9/foia/. 

EPA’s proposed PSD permit for the Project and the accompanying fact sheet/ambient air quality 

impact report are available for review at the following locations: Antelope Valley Air Quality 

Management District, 43301 Division Street, Suite 206, Lancaster, CA 93535, (661) 723-8070; 

Palmdale City Library, 700 East Palmdale Boulevard, Palmdale, CA 93550-4742, (661) 267-

5600; Lancaster Regional Library, 601 W. Lancaster Boulevard, Lancaster, CA 93534-3398, 

(661) 948-5029; Lake Los Angeles Library, 16921 East Avenue O, Palmdale, CA 93591-3045, 

(661) 264-0593; and Quartz Hill Library, 42018 N. 50th Street West, Quartz Hill, CA 93536-

3590, (661) 943-2454. 

All comments that are received will be included in the public docket without change and will be 

available to the public, including any personal information provided, unless the comment 

includes Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is 

restricted by statute. Information that you consider CBI or otherwise protected should be clearly 

identified as such and should not be submitted through e-mail. If you send e-mail directly to the 

EPA, your e-mail address will be automatically captured and included as part of the public 

comment. Please note that an e-mail or postal address must be provided with your comments if 

you wish to receive direct notification of EPA’s final decision regarding the permit. 

EPA will consider all written and oral comments submitted during the public comment period 

before taking final action on the PSD permit application and will send notice of the final decision 

to each person who submitted comments and contact information during the public comment 

period or requested notice of the final permit decision. EPA will respond to all substantive 

comments in a document accompanying EPA’s final permit decision and will make the Public 

Hearing proceedings available to the public. 

EPA’s final permit decision will become effective 30 days after the service of notice of the 

decision unless: 
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1. A later effective date is specified in the decision; or 

2. The decision is appealed to EPA’s Environmental Appeals Board pursuant to 40 CFR 

124.19; or 

3. There are no comments requesting a change to the proposed permit decision, in which 

case the final decision shall become effective immediately upon issuance. 

If EPA issues a final decision granting the PSD permit application for the Project, and there is no 

appeal, construction of the Project may commence, subject to the conditions of the PSD permit 

and other applicable permit and legal requirements. 

If you have questions, please contact Lisa Beckham at (415) 972-3811 or email at 

R9airpermits@epa.gov. If you would like to be added to our mailing list to receive future 

information about this proposed permit decision or other PSD permit decisions issued by EPA 

Region 9, please contact Lisa Beckham at (415) 972-3811 or send an email to 

R9airpermits@epa.gov, or visit EPA Region 9's website at 

http://www.epa.gov/region09/air/permit/psd-public-guidelines.html. 

Please bring the foregoing notice to the attention of all persons who would be interested in this 

matter.