Each owner that constructs or modifies a facility that has the potential to emit pollutants into the air must determine if the proposal requires an air permit. The criteria for deciding if any new proposed facility or any change to an existing facility are contained in the state air regulations for the Control and abatement of air pollutants. A ir permits are issued to any new or modified facility by the regional offices based on the location of the facility. The Minor NSR regulations require that a facility submit an application containing information about the facility before DEQ can issue a permit to the facility.
All applications are available for review by the public at the appropriate regional office.
Within Minor NSR permitting there is a subset of applications that include facilities that could be considered a major stationary source but have requested that the permit limit the amount of pollutants they can emit into the air. Permits Facilities that apply for a permit and that emit certain air pollutants at a rate greater than 250 tons of pollutant per year will be processed as a Prevention of Significant Deterioration or PSD permit. For the power plants being proposed for construction in Virginia, there are some applicants whose nitrogen dioxide or NO 2 . Those facilities will have to go through the PSD permitting process, which is more time consuming and more intricate than the Minor NSR permitting. This greater level of scrutiny reflects the fact that PSD facilities have the potential to have greater environmental impact because of their higher emissions levels.