These provisions also address other aspects of the permits program such as compliance, enforcement, submission of applications, and approval of permits. EPA requires facilities that emit pollution into the air to obtain a permit to operate. The CAM rule requires owners and operators to monitor the operation and maintenance of their control equipment so that they can evaluate the performance of their control devices and report whether or not their facilities meet established emission standards. In some cases, this monitoring is more stringent than the monitoring required under the CAM rule. Approximately 10 percent of processes at major industrial facilities that are subject to air pollution emission standards are fitted with air pollution control equipment.
Some facilities achieve emission standards without control equipment.
Approximately 60 percent of these facilities are covered by the CAM rule. For emission units with control equipment, the rule requires the owner or operator to develop and conduct monitoring. The CAM rule establishes criteria that define what monitoring of existing control devices that the source owner or operator should conduct to provide reasonable assurance of compliance with emission limits and standards. The control devices monitored under the CAM rule are supposed to control over 97 percent of the total emissions from all facilities utilizing air pollution control devices and receiving operating permits. The CAM rule also includes Title V compliance certification language that allows the source owner or operator to use compliance assurance monitoring data to establish their compliance status with permit terms or conditions and certify that their facilities comply with air pollution control requirements, as required by the Clean Air Act.