* * * PUBLIC NOTICE * * *

OF A PROPOSED CONSTRUCTION PERMIT

WHICH REGULATES THE EM ISSION OF AIR POLLUTANTS

PUBLIC NOTICE NO. SAC 87-01-A

The Region 9 office of the United States Enviro nmental Protection Agency (EPA) is requesting public comment on the proposed major modification of a permit for the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) of air qualit y, issued in accordance with 40 CFR 52.21, to Sierra Pacific Industries, Inc. (SPI), locat ed in Loyalton, California.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or iginally issued a Pr evention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) permit to SPI in 1988 to opera te the biomass-fueled cogeneration plant in Loyalton. SPI has requested revisions to its PSD permit to allow for increases in emissions and averaging times for its oxides of nitrogen (NO X ) and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions from

their wood-fired boiler. In orde r to operate at increased capacit y, SPI proposes to increase its

NO X emission limit from 161.7 tons per year (TPY ) to 222.6 TPY, and CO from 735.2 TPY to 2,420.1 TPY. No construction or physical modifi cation of the cogeneration unit is proposed. The existing boiler is equipped with a selective non-catalytic reduction co ntrol device to control

NO X , and employs proper combustion controls to control CO emissions. The boiler will be equipped with a continuous emissions monitoring system (CEMS) to measure exhaust emissions. The facility is subject to 40 CFR 52.21 requirements due to the proposed emission increases for

NO X and CO, which is considered a major m odification to the existing PSD permit.

Pursuant to 40 CFR 124.12, EPA has discretion to hold a Public Hearing if we determine there is a significant amount of public in terest in the proposed permit. Requests for a Public Hearing must state the nature of the issues proposed to be raised in the hearing. If a Public Hearing is to be held, a public notice stating the date, time a nd place of the hearing will be made at least 30 days prior to the hearing. Reasonable attempt will be made to notify directly any person who has commented on this proposal of any pending Pub lic Hearing, provided co ntact information has been given to the EPA contact person listed below.

All comments on the proposed permit, and reques ts for a Public Hearing, must be received by email or postmarked within 30 days of the date of this notice. An extension of the 30-day comment period may be granted if the request fo r an extension adequate ly explains why more time is required to prepare comments. Comments must be sent or delivered in writing to Manny Aquitania at the postal or email address show n below. All comments should address the proposed permit and must be received by ema il or postmarked within the 30-day comment period. All comments will be included in the pu blic docket without change and may be made available to the public, including any persona l information provided, unless the comment includes Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Information that you consid er CBI or otherwise prot ected should be clearly

identified as such and should not be submitted through e-mail. If you send e-mail directly to EPA, your e-mail address will be captured automa tically and included as part of the public comment. Please note that an e-mail or postal address must be provide d with your comments ifyou wish to receive direct notif ication of EPA’s final decision regarding the permit and its responses to comments submitted during the public comment period.

A final decision to issue a final permit, or to de ny the application for the permit, shall be made

after all comments have been considered. Noti ce of the final decision shall be sent to each person who has submitted written comments or requested notice of the final permit decision, provided EPA has adequate contact information. The decision will become effective 30 days

from the date of issuance unless:

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

2. The decision is appealed to the Envi ronmental Appeals Board pursuant to 40 CFR 124.19 (any person who submits written comments on the proposed permit or who participates in the Public Hearin g may petition the Environmental Appeals Board to review any part of the permit decision within 30 days after the decision has been issued. Any person who failed to comment either in writing or by participation in the Public Hearing on the proposed permit may petition for review by the Environmental Appeals Board only those parts of the final permit decision which are different than the proposed permit); or

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

the final decision shall become ef fective immediately upon issuance.

The Administrative Record for the proposed permit, which consists of the proposed permit, all data submitted by the applican t in support of the proposed pe rmit, and correspondence between EPA and the applicant is available for public in spection Monday through Friday from 9:00 A.M. until 4:00 P.M. at the address below. Due to building security procedures, please call to arrange

a visit 24 hours in advance. All documents th at are available in electronic form may be requested via email. Please contact Manny Aquitania for further information.

Manny Aquitania (AIR-3) EPA, Region 9

75 Hawthorne Street San Francisco, CA 94105-3901 Phone: (415) 972-3977

Email: r9airpermits@epa.gov

Please bring the foregoing notice to the atte ntion of all persons who you know would be

interested in this matter.