The following rules and regulations of the Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission, adopted in accordance with the provisions of Part II of the Arkansas Water and Air Pollution Control Act Arkansas Code Annotated (Ark. Code Ann.) § 8-4-101et seq., shall be known as the "Regulations of the Arkansas Operating Air Permit Program," hereinafter referred to as the "program," the "regulations," and "Regulation No. 26."
Promulgation and enforcement of these regulations is intended to meet the requirements of title V of the federal Clean Air Act, 42 United States Code (U.S.C.) §7401, et seq., and 40 Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.) Part 70, as promulgated July 21, 1992 and last modified November 27, 2001, by establishing a comprehensive state air quality permitting program for major sources of air contaminant emissions. Permits issued under this program will address all applicable air contaminant emissions and regulatory requirements in a single document.
If any provision of Regulation No. 26 is determined to be invalid, such invalidity shall not affect other provisions of Regulation No. 26.
If federal legislation or a federal court stays, invalidates, delays the effective date of, or otherwise renders unenforceable, in whole or in part, EPA's regulation of greenhouse gases, then the provisions of Regulation No. 26 concerning greenhouse gases based thereon shall be stayed and shall not be enforceable until such time as the Commission makes a final decision on whether or not to revise Regulation No. 26 due to the federal legislation or federal court order.
The following definitions apply to these regulations. Except as specifically provided in this section, terms used in this regulation retain the meaning accorded them under the applicable requirements of the federal Clean Air Act or the Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission's Regulation Number 19, Regulations of the Arkansas Plan of Implementation for Air Pollution Control (Regulation No. 19, or SIP).
"Acid rain source" shall have the meaning of "affected source" as defined in title IV of the Act.
"Act" means the Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. 7401et seq., as amended by July 23, 1993.
"Administrator" or "EPA" means the Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency or his/her designee.
"Affected States" are all States:
"Air contaminant" or "air pollutant" means any solid, liquid, gas, or combination thereof, other than water vapor, nitrogen (N2), and oxygen (O2).
"Applicable requirement" means all of the following as they apply to emissions units in a part 70 source (including requirements that have been promulgated or approved by EPA through rulemaking at the time of issuance but have future-effective compliance dates):
"CO2 equivalent emissions" (CO2e) shall represent an amount of GHGs emitted, and shall be computed by multiplying the mass amount of emissions tpy, for each of the six greenhouse gases in the pollutant GHGs, by the gas's associated global warming potential published at Table A - 1 to Subpart A of 40 C.F.R. Part 98 - Global Warming Potentials (which is incorporated by reference as of the effective date of the federal rule published by EPA in the Federal Register on November 29, 2013 [78 FR 71948]), and summing the resultant value for each to compute a tpy CO2 equivalent emissions.
"Department" means Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality or its successor.
"Designated representative" shall have the meaning given to it in section 402(26) of the Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder.
"Draft permit" means the version of a permit for which the Department offers public participation and affected State review.
"Emissions allowable under the permit" means a federally enforceable permit term or condition determined at issuance to be required by an applicable requirement that establishes an emissions limit (including a work practice standard) or a federally enforceable emissions cap that the source has assumed to avoid an applicable requirement to which the source would otherwise be subject.
"Emissions unit" means any part or activity of a stationary source that emits or has the potential to emit any regulated air pollutant. This term is not meant to alter or affect the definition of the term "unit" for purposes of title IV of the Act.
"Existing part 70 source" means:
"Final permit" means the version of a part 70 permit issued by the Department that has completed all review procedures required by these regulations.
"Fugitive emissions" are those emissions which could not reasonably pass through a stack, chimney, vent, or other functionally-equivalent opening.
"Greenhouse gases" (GHGs) means the aggregate group of six greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride.
"Initial permit" means a part 70 permit issued to a part 70 source that is in existence on the effective date of these regulations.
"Major source" means any stationary source (or any group of stationary sources that are located on one or more contiguous or adjacent properties, and are under common control of the same person [or persons under common control]) belonging to a single major industrial grouping and that are described in subsection (A), (B), or (C) of this definition. For the purposes of defining "major source," a stationary source or group of stationary sources shall be considered part of a single industrial grouping if all of the pollutant emitting activities at such source or group of sources on contiguous or adjacent properties belong to the same Major Group (i.e., all have the same two-digit code) as described in the Standard Industrial Classification Manual, 1987.
"Part 70 permit" or "permit" (unless the context suggests otherwise) means any permit or group of permits covering a part 70 source that is issued, renewed, amended, or revised pursuant to this regulation.
"Part 70 program" or "State program" means a program approved by the Administrator under 40 C.F.R. Part 70, as promulgated July 21, 1992, and last modified November 27, 2001.
"Part 70 source" means any source subject to the permitting requirements of this regulation.
"Permit modification" means a revision to a part 70 permit that meets the requirements of Chapter 10 of Regulation No. 26.
"Permit revision" means any permit modification or administrative permit amendment.
"Permitting authority" means either of the following:
"Potential to emit" means the maximum capacity of a stationary source to emit any air pollutant under its physical and operational design. Any physical or operational limitation on the capacity of a source to emit an air pollutant, including air pollution control equipment and restrictions on hours of operation or on the type or amount of material combusted, stored, or processed, shall be treated as part of its design if the limitation is enforceable by the Administrator. This term does not alter or affect the use of this term for any other purposes under the Act, or the term "capacity factor" as used in title IV of the Act or the regulations promulgated thereunder.
"Proposed permit" means the version of a permit that the Department proposes to issue and forwards to the Administrator for review.
"Recognized air contaminant emissions" shall mean those air contaminant emissions which may reasonably be assumed to be present according to mass balance calculations or applicable published literature on air contaminant emissions or those air contaminant emissions which characteristics, toxicity, rate and quantity of emission, and duration of their presence in the atmosphere cause or present a threat of harm to human health or the environment.
"Regulated air pollutant" means the following:
"Renewal" means the process by which a permit is reissued at the end of its term. "Renewal permit" means a part 70 permit that is reissued at the end of its term. "Responsible official" means one of the following:
"State" means any non-Federal permitting authority, including any local agency, interstate association, or statewide program. The term "State" also includes the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Where such meaning is clear from the context, "State" shall have its conventional meaning. For purposes of the acid rain program, the term "State" shall be limited to authorities within the 48 contiguous States and the District of Columbia as provided in section 402(14) of the Act.
"Stationary source" means any building, structure, facility, or installation that emits or may emit any regulated air pollutant.
"Title I modification" means any modification as defined under any regulation promulgated pursuant to Title I of the federal Clean Air Act. De Minimis changes under Regulation No. 19, changes to state only permit requirements, administrative permit amendments, and changes to the insignificant activities list are not Title I modifications.
The following sources shall be subject to permitting under these regulations, unless exempted by Reg. 26.303 below:
The following source categories are exempted from the obligation to obtain a part 70 permit:
The Department shall include in the part 70 permit all applicable requirements for all relevant emissions units in the part 70 source. Some equipment with very small emission rates is exempt from permitting requirements as per Chapter 4 and Appendix A of Regulation No. 19.
All regulated air pollutant emissions and recognized air contaminant emissions from a part 70 source shall be included in a part 70 permit, except that GHG emissions less than 100,000 tpy CO2e shall not be included in a part 70 permit unless the part 70 source undertakes a physical change or change in the method of operation that will result in an emissions increase of 75,000 tpy CO2e or more. Only regulated air pollutants may trigger the need for a part 70 permit or a part 70 permit modification process. A permit modification involving only air contaminants other than regulated air pollutants shall be permitted according to the procedure of Regulation
No. 19. Such permits shall be incorporated into the part 70 permit by administrative permit amendment.
Fugitive emissions from a part 70 source shall be included in the permit application and the part 70 permit in the same manner as stack emissions, regardless of whether the source category in question is included in the list of sources contained in the definition of major source.
For each source subject to 40 C.F.R. Part 70, as promulgated June 3, 2010 (75 FR 31607), the owner or operator shall submit a timely and complete permit application (on forms supplied by the Department) in accordance with this section.
The Department shall provide a standard application form or forms and shall provide them to part 70 sources upon request. Information as described below for each emissions unit at a part 70 source shall be required by the application form and included by the applicant in the application.
A timely application for an initial part 70 permit for an existing part 70 source is one that is submitted within 12 months after the source becomes subject to the permit program, or on or before such earlier date as the Department may establish. The earliest that the Department may require an initial application from such an existing part 70 source is 6 months after the Department notifies the source in writing of its duty to apply for an initial part 70 permit.
The owner or operator proposing to construct a new part 70 source shall apply for and obtain a part 70 permit prior to the construction of the source, unless the applicable permit application was submitted prior to the effective date of these Regulations and the Department's draft permitting decision for such source has already proceeded to public comment in accordance with Regulation No. 19.
Part 70 sources proposing to construct a new emissions unit or modify an existing emissions unit shall apply for and obtain a modified part 70 permit prior to the construction or modification of such emissions unit. This applies only to significant modifications and does not apply to modifications that qualify as minor modifications or changes allowed under the operational flexibility provisions of a part 70 permit.
For purposes of permit renewal, a timely application is one that is received by the Department at least six (6) months prior to the date of permit expiration or such other longer time as may be approved by the Administrator that ensures that the term of the permit will not expire before the permit is renewed. In no event shall this time be greater than eighteen (18) months. Renewal permits are subject to the same procedural requirements that apply to initial permit issuance. Permit expiration terminates a part 70 source's right to operate unless a timely and complete renewal application has been received by the Department, in which case the existing permit shall remain in effect until the Department takes final action on the renewal application. If the Department fails to act in a timely way on a permit renewal, EPA may invoke its authority under section 505(e) of the Act to terminate or revoke and reissue the permit.
To be deemed complete, an application must provide all information required by Reg. 26.402, except that applications for permit revision need supply only that information related to the proposed change. Unless the Department determines that an application is not complete within sixty (60) days of receipt of the application, such application shall be deemed to be complete. If, while processing an application that has been determined or deemed to be complete, the Department determines that additional information is necessary to evaluate or take final action on that application, it may request such information in writing and set a reasonable deadline for a response.
In the case where a source has submitted information to the State under a claim of confidentiality, the Department may also require the source to submit a copy of such information directly to the Administrator.
Any applicant who fails to submit any relevant facts or who has submitted incorrect information in a permit application shall, upon becoming aware of such failure or incorrect submittal, promptly submit such supplementary facts or corrected information. In addition, an applicant shall provide additional information as necessary to address any requirements that become applicable to the source after the date it filed a complete application but prior to release of a draft permit.
Any application form, report, or compliance certification submitted pursuant to these regulations shall contain certification by a responsible official of truth, accuracy, and completeness. This certification and any other certification required under these regulations shall state that, based on information and belief formed after reasonable inquiry, the statements and information in the document are true, accurate, and complete.
A permit, permit modification, or permit renewal may be issued only if all of the following conditions have been met:
The Department shall take final action on each permit application (including a request for permit modification or renewal) as expeditiously as practicable, but no later than eighteen (18) months after receiving a complete application, unless a different time period is provided for in these regulations (i.e., initial permitting of existing part 70 sources and minor permit modifications). Failure of the Department to act upon an application shall not constitute approval of the permit application. An aggrieved applicant may seek relief from Department inaction on a permit application in accordance with the procedures of Ark. Code Ann. § 8-4-311(b)(10)(F).
Priority shall be given by the Department to taking action on applications for construction and modification over applications for permit renewal to the extent practicable.
The Department shall promptly provide notice to the applicant of whether the application is complete. Unless the Department requests additional information or otherwise notifies the applicant of incompleteness within sixty (60) days of receipt of an application, the application shall be deemed complete. For modifications processed through minor permit modification procedures, the program shall not require a completeness determination, but shall be subject to an eligibility determination.
A part 70 source's ability to operate without a permit prior to initial permit issuance (to existing part 70 sources) or permit renewal shall be in effect from the date the timely and complete application for initial permit or permit renewal is determined or deemed to be complete until the final permit is issued, provided that the applicant submits any requested additional information by the deadline specified by the Department. However, the installation of new emissions units and the modification of existing emissions units may not commence until a final permit for such activity is issued, unless such activity involves equipment exempt from permitting requirements or modifications eligible to be processed through minor permit modification procedures.
The Department shall provide a statement that sets forth the legal and factual basis for the draft permit conditions (including references to the applicable statutory or regulatory provisions). The Department shall send this statement to EPA and to any other person who requests it.
All initial permits, renewal permits, and significant permit modifications shall meet the permit review requirements of this chapter.
All initial permit issuances, significant modifications, minor modifications, and renewals shall afford the public the opportunity to comment.
If the Administrator does not object in writing to a proposed part 70 permit, any person may petition the Administrator within sixty (60) days after the expiration of the Administrator's forty-five (45) day review period to make such objection. Any such petition shall be based only on objections to the permit that were raised with reasonable specificity during the public comment period, unless the petitioner demonstrates that it was impracticable to raise such objections within such period, or unless the grounds for such objection arose after such period. If the Administrator objects to the permit as a result of a petition filed under this subsection, the Department shall not issue the permit until EPA's objection has been resolved, except that a petition for review does not stay the effectiveness of a permit or its requirements if the permit was issued after the end of the 45-day review period and prior to an EPA objection. If the Department has issued a permit prior to receipt of an EPA objection under this subsection, the Administrator will modify, terminate, or revoke such permit, and shall do so consistent with the procedures in Chapter 10 of Regulation No. 26 except in unusual circumstances, and the Department may thereafter issue only a revised permit that satisfies EPA's objection. In any case, the source will not be in violation of the requirement to have submitted a timely and complete application.
No part 70 permit (including a permit renewal or modification) shall be issued until affected States and EPA have had an opportunity to review the proposed permit as required under this chapter.
Each permit issued under this program shall include the following elements:
for information claimed to be confidential, the permittee may furnish such records directly to the Administrator along with a claim of confidentiality.
All part 70 permits shall contain the following elements with respect to compliance:
The Department may issue a single permit authorizing emissions from similar operations by the same source owner or operator at multiple temporary locations. The operation must be temporary and involve at least one change of location during the term of the permit. No acid rain source shall be permitted as a temporary source. Permits for temporary sources shall include the following:
Any operating scenario allowed for in a permit may be implemented by the facility without the need for any permit revision or any notification to the Department. It is incumbent upon the permit applicant to apply for any reasonably anticipated alternative facility operating scenarios at the time of permit application. The Department shall include approved alternative operating scenarios in the permit.
A permitted source may make changes within the facility that contravene permit terms without a permit revision if the changes:
The Department shall, if a permit applicant requests it, issue permits that contain terms and conditions, including all terms required under 40 C.F.R. § 70.6(a) and (c), as promulgated July 21, 1992, and last modified June 3, 2010 (75 FR 31607), to determine compliance, allowing for the trading of emissions increases and decreases in the permitted facility solely for the purpose of complying with a federally-enforceable emissions cap that is established in the permit independent of otherwise applicable requirements. The permit applicant shall include in its application proposed replicable procedures and permit terms that ensure the emissions trades are quantifiable and enforceable. The Department shall not be required to include in the emissions trading provisions any emissions units for which emissions are not quantifiable or for which there are no replicable procedures to enforce the emissions trades. The permit shall also require compliance with all applicable requirements. The permittee shall provide 7-days written notice to the Department which shall state when the change will occur and shall describe the changes in emissions that will result and how these increases and decreases in emissions will comply with the terms and conditions of the permit. The permit shield described in Chapter 7 of Regulation No. 26 shall extend to terms and conditions that allow such increases and decreases in emissions.
A permitted part 70 source may trade increases and decreases in emissions within the permitted facility, where Regulation No. 19, the State Implementation Plan, provides for such emissions trades, without requiring a permit revision. The permittee shall provide seven (7) days written notice to the Department which shall state when the proposed change will occur, a description of such change, any change in emissions, the permit requirements with which the source will comply using the emissions trading provisions of the State Implementation Plan, and the pollutants emitted subject to the emissions trade. The notice shall also refer to the provisions with which the source will comply in the State Implementation Plan and that provide for the emissions trade. The permit shield described in Chapter 7 of Regulation No. 26 shall not extend to any change made pursuant to this subsection. Compliance with the permit requirements that the source will meet using the emissions trade shall be determined according to requirements of the State Implementation Plan authorizing the emissions trade.
An "administrative permit amendment" is a permit revision, requested by the permittee, that:
Administrative permit amendments for purposes of the acid rain portion of the permit shall be governed by regulations promulgated under title IV of the Act.
An administrative permit amendment shall be made by the Department consistent with the following:
A permit modification is any revision to a part 70 permit that cannot be accomplished under the program's provisions for administrative permit amendments. A permit modification for purposes of the acid rain portion of the permit shall be governed by regulations promulgated under title IV of the Act.
The minor permit modification process is an expedited procedure that allows a source to make trivial changes involving limited emission increases, based on the differences between the sum of the proposed permitted rates for all emissions units and the sum of previously permitted emission rates for all units, without a public notice process or a preconstruction permit. Minor permit modification procedures may be used only for those permit modifications that:
A part 70 source may not submit multiple minor permit modification applications that are designed to conceal a larger modification that would not be eligible for minor permit modification procedures. The Department may, in its discretion, require that multiple related minor permit modification applications be processed as a significant permit modification.
An application requesting the use of minor permit modification procedures shall meet the standard part 70 permit application requirements and shall additionally include the following:
Within five (5) working days of receipt of a complete minor permit modification application, the Department shall meet its obligation to notify the Administrator and affected States of the requested permit modification. The Department promptly shall send any notice required under Chapter 6 of Regulation No. 26 to the Administrator.
The Department may not issue a final minor permit modification until after EPA's forty-five (45) day review period or until EPA has notified the Department that EPA will not object to issuance of the permit modification, although the Department can approve the permit modification prior to that time. Within ninety (90) days of the Department's receipt of an application under minor permit modification procedures or fifteen (15) days after the end of the Administrator's forty-five (45) day review period under Chapter 6 of Regulation No. 26, whichever is later, the Department shall:
A source may make the change proposed in its minor permit modification application upon receipt of written notification from the Department. The Department shall have fifteen (15) days after its receipt of the application to determine if the minor permit modification application is complete and is eligible for minor permit modification procedures. If the Department does not respond within this fifteen (15) day period, the source may proceed with the proposed modification at its own risk. After the source makes the change allowed by the preceding sentence, and until the Department takes action on the application, the source must comply with both the applicable requirements governing the change and the proposed permit terms and conditions. During this time period, the source need not comply with the existing permit terms and conditions it seeks to modify. However, if the source fails to comply with its proposed permit terms and conditions during this time period, the existing permit terms and conditions it seeks to modify may be enforced against it.
Multiple applications for different minor permit modifications may be processed as a single minor permit modification by the Department if the group of multiple permit applications as a whole meets the eligibility requirements of Reg. 26.1002.
The permit shield under Chapter 7 of Regulation No. 26 does not extend to minor permit modifications.
Significant modifications involving the procedures of Chapter 6 of Regulation No. 26 shall be used for applications that:
In accordance with 40 C.F.R. § 70.9, as promulgated July 21, 1992, and last modified June 3, 2010 (75 FR 31607), the owners or operators of part 70 sources shall pay initial and annual fees that are sufficient to cover the permit program costs. The Department shall ensure that any fee required by these regulations will be used solely for permit program costs.
The fee schedule for part 70 permits is contained in Regulation No. 9.
The purpose of this section is to ensure that acid rain sources located within the state will be permitted in accordance with the regulations promulgated pursuant to title IV of the federal Clean Air Act.
The Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission hereby adopts and incorporates by reference those provisions of 40 C.F.R. Parts 72 and 76 (including all provisions of Parts 73, 74, 75, 77, and 78 referenced therein) as in effect on October 15, 1999, for purposes of implementing an Acid Rain Program that meets the requirements of title IV of the Clean Air Act. The term "permitting authority" shall mean the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, and the term "Administrator" shall mean the Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency. If the provisions or requirements of 40 C.F.R. Parts 72 or 76 conflict with or are not included in Regulation No. 26, the Part 72 or 76 provisions and requirements shall apply and take precedence.
This regulation is effective ten (10) days after filing with the Secretary of State, the State Library, and the Bureau of Legislative Research.
014.01.14 Ark. Code R. 003