Schedule To Act On Michigan Regional Haze Reduction Plan

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a court ordered schedule to review and act on more than 40 state regional haze reduction plans (including Michigan), designed to improve visibility in national parks and wilderness areas. The EPA action by itself does not establish control requirements; EPA will work with the states to approve their plans by the court ordered deadline in the agreement. Under the terms of the consent decree, if a state plan cannot be approved, EPA will determine an appropriate federal plan.

The dates for promulgation of final rules (either accepting or rejecting State plans) begin December 13, 2011 and run through November 15, 2011. The dates for action on the Michigan regional haze SIP are:
Proposed Promulgation: May 15, 2012
Final Promulgation: November 15, 2012

EPA initially issued a rule in 1999 requiring states to submit regional haze plans. These plans were due in December 2007, but no action was taken by the agency in response to the submittals. National Parks Conservation Association and other environmental groups sued the agency in August 2011 to take action on these plans, and the consent decree resolves this litigation. EPA will accept public comment on this agreement for 30 days following publication of a notice in the Federal Register.

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Michigan Diesel Emissions Reduction Act Grant Applications Accepted Though Nov 16

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality has announced the availability of grants totaling nearly $800,000 to upgrade diesel equipment. Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) grants help schools, municipalities, organizations, and businesses replace old diesel engines with newer, cleaner-burning engines. The DERA is part of the National Clean Diesel Campaign initiated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and MDEQ coordinates the grant process. The grants provide options to replace entire engines, equipment or vehicles or to install exhaust control equipment on existing diesel engines.

Applications are being accepted through Nov. 16, 2011. The program is open to all Michigan municipalities, townships and villages, county and non-profit agencies, school districts, municipal planning organizations and private industries. Eligible vehicles include school and municipal buses, medium and heavy duty trucks as well as marine, agricultural, energy production, mining and construction vehicles and equipment.

Caltha LLP provides expert environmental consultant services in Michigan to obtain environmental permits, evaluate regulatory requirements, and to develop cost effective compliance programs.

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Initiative To Reduce Diesel Emissions At Ports

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Coalition for Responsible Transportation and the Environmental Defense Fund have launched a new initiative to reduced emissions from thousands of short-haul trucks that service the nation’s ports. The new EPA SmartWay initiative will reduce diesel emissions from dray trucks, large diesel trucks that are widely used in port facilities to haul freight from cargo ships to nearby local distribution points.

Under the SmartWay dray truck initiative, carriers sign an agreement with EPA to track and reduce PM 2.5 emissions by 50% and nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions by 25% below the industry average over a three year period. In addition, SmartWay dray shipper partners will commit to use the cleaner trucks to haul 75% or more of port freight.

Under the agreement and through the incentives, EPA and its SmartWay partners expect to build on the SmartWay program’s success in cutting fuel costs, reducing diesel emissions, preserving jobs, and protecting air quality. Since 2004, SmartWay partners including many of the country’s top retailers, trucking and rail companies and manufacturers have reduced fuel use, cut foreign oil imports by 50 million barrels and saved an estimated $6.1 billion in fuel costs.

Caltha LLP provides expert environmental consultant services in Michigan to obtain environmental permits, evaluate regulatory requirements, and to develop cost effective compliance programs.

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New Mercury & Air Toxics Standards For Power Plants

In response to a court mandated deadline, the U.S. EPA proposed national standards for mercury, arsenic and other air toxics from power plants. The new Power Plant Mercury and Air Toxics Standards will require many power plants to install widely available, proven pollution control technologies to cut emissions of mercury, arsenic, chromium, nickel and acid gases.

Power plants are the largest remaining source of several toxic air pollutants and are responsible for half of mercury and over half of acid gas emissions in the US. Within the power sector, coal-fired power plants are responsible for 99 % of mercury emissions. According to EPA, currently more than half of all coal-fired power plants already use control technologies that allow them to meet these important standards.

The public comment period will extend 60 days from posting to the Federal Register. EPA also expects to hold public hearings on this proposed rule.

Caltha LLP provides expert environmental consultant services in Michigan to obtain environmental permits, evaluate regulatory requirements, and to develop cost effective compliance programs.

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Residual Risk and Technology Reviews For Refinery MACT

EPA is required to evaluate the risk remaining at facilities 8 years after they are required to comply with Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) air-toxic emission standards according to Section 112 (f)(2) of the Clean Air Act (CAA). EPA is also required to review and revise the MACT standards if needed every 8 years with regard to practices, processes and control technologies according to Section 112(d)(6) of the CAA.

EPA is currently proposing to conduct risk and technology reviews for both Petroleum Refinery MACT 1 and 2 source categories. Initial work will focus on gathering comprehensive information on petroleum refineries to complete these reviews. In addition, EPA also plans to address issues related to the reconsideration of Petroleum Refinery New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) Subpart Ja.

Caltha LLP provides expert environmental consultant services in Michigan to obtain environmental permits, evaluate regulatory requirements, and to develop cost effective compliance programs.

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Allegan County Redesignated As Attainment For Ozone

US EPA Region 5 has granted final approval of a request from the state of Michigan to redesignate Allegan County to attainment of the 1997 national health-based eight-hour outdoor standard for ozone (smog). The action was published in the Federal Register on Friday, Sept. 24, and was effective upon publication. The entire state of Michigan now meets the 1997 federal health-based standard for ozone.

EPA approval was based on three years of complete, quality-assured, outdoor air monitoring data for 2007, 2008 and 2009 that show that the area meets the standard. Preliminary 2010 data show that the area continues to meet the standard.

EPA also approved Michigan's plan to continue to meet the eight-hour health-based ozone standard in the area through 2021. This plan will provide for corrective actions should the area violate the ozone standard after the area is redesignated to attainment

Caltha LLP provides expert environmental consultant services in Michigan to obtain environmental permits, evaluate regulatory requirements, and to develop cost effective compliance programs.

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MDNRE Suspends General Permit For Diesel Generators

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment (MDNRE) General Permit to Install for Diesel Fuel-Fired Engine Generators has been suspended from use due to the new federal National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for nitrogen dioxide (N02). Any general permits previously issued for diesel-fired generators will remain in effect.

On January 22, 2010, the US EPA promulgated a final rule containing a new NAAQS for N02 based on a 1-hour averaging time. On April 12, 2010, 188 µg/m3 became effective as the 1-hour NAAQS for N02 . The applicability criteria and special conditions in the general permit for generators have been reevaluated by MDNRE to determine the impact of this new standard. Dispersion modeling was done for a hypothetical generator to determine the maximum ambient 1-hour N02 concentration. A representative building and various stack parameters were used and the modeling assumed the generator stack to be an isolated facility with no other sources considered in the analysis. All alternative stacks showed a total impact to be above the 1-hour N02 NAAQS.

Because the current general permit for diesel generators does not limit N02 emissions to adequately ensure compliance with the new 1-hour N02 limit the permit is being suspended from use at this time. Until the general permit for diesel-fired generators is revised, a case-by-case permit to install pursuant to Rule 201 is being used for diesel-fired generators.





Regulatory Briefings Archive

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Good Neighbor Provision Of Clean Air Act - Transport Rule

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing regulations targeting power plant emissions that drift across the borders of 31 eastern states and the District of Columbia, commonly referred to as the Transport Rule.

The Transport Rule would reduce power plant emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) to meet state-by-state emission reductions. By 2014, the rule and other state and EPA actions would reduce SO2 emissions by 71 percent over 2005 levels. NOx emissions would drop by 52 percent.

EPA is using the “good neighbor” provision of the Clean Air Act to reduce interstate transport, which is the upwind state emissions that contribute to air quality problems in downwind states. The proposed rule sets in place a new approach that can be applied again as further pollution reductions are needed to help areas meet air quality health standards. EPA expects that the emission reductions will be accomplished by proven and readily available pollution control technologies already in place at many power plants across the country.

The proposal would replace the 2005 Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR), which the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ordered EPA to revise in 2008. The court allowed CAIR to remain in place temporarily while EPA worked to finalize the replacement rule.

EPA will take public comment on the proposal for 60 days after the rule is published in the Federal Register. The agency also will hold public hearings.

Caltha LLP provides expert environmental consultant services in Michigan to obtain environmental permits, evaluate regulatory requirements, and to develop cost effective compliance programs.

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RICE Proposed Rule - Internal Combustion Engines

On March 5, 2009, EPA published new proposed 40 CFR Part 63 rules for reciprocating internal combustion engines (RICE). The rules would affect:

• Engines at facilities classified as "Area Sources" with hazardous air pollutant (HAP) emissions less than 10/25 TPY.
• Engines with horsepower rating less than 500 at major source facilities and constructed/reconstructed before June 12. 2006.
• Engines with horsepower rating greater than 500 at major source facilities and constructed/reconstructed before December 12, 2002.

EPA expects that the new emissions limits would be met by installing "after-treatment" controls such as:

• Existing rich-burn engines would install non-selective catalytic reduction (NSCR).
• Existing diesel engines would install oxidation catalysts and/or catalyzed diesel particulate filters (CDFP).
• Non-emergency engines with greater than 300 horsepower would burn ultra-low sulfur fuel.
  

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Great Lakes Mercury Emission Reduction Strategy - Priority Sources

In 2008, the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration (GLRC) Executive Committee directed that a Great Lakes Mercury Emission Reduction Strategy be developed with a goal of producing institutionalized activities to sustain mercury emission reductions from unregulated sources, and regulated sources with potential for additional reduction. The strategy would produce recommendations or options for actions to be taken by States. A workgroup was formed in April 2008 to develop the Strategy.

In November 2008, the work group released several draft documents which will be part of the overall Draft Mercury Emission Reduction Strategy Report. A key document out for review is the draft listing of priority source sectors to be addressed. The priority source sectors are:

• Utility boilers
• Metals production
• Waste incineration
• Cement production
• Non-utility fuel combustion
• Mercury cell chlor-alkali plants
• Mercury emission related to product use and disposal

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Michigan Environmental Consulting Services - Environmental Consultant

Caltha LLP provides expert technical consulting services to private and public sector clients across Michigan. For further information, click on links below:

Michigan (MDEQ) Auditing – Compliance Audit – System Audit Services
Michigan (MDEQ) Stormwater Permit Compliance – Storm Water Permitting Services
Michigan Integrated Contingency Plan - SPCC Plan Services
Michigan (MDEQ) EPCRA Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) Compliance
Michigan (MDEQ) RCRA Compliance Services
Michigan Haz Com – Product Stewardship Compliance Services
Michigan EHS Staffing - Contract Employee Services
Michigan (MDEQ) Wastewater Compliance - NPDES Permitting Services

Caltha LLP provides expert environmental consultant services in Michigan to obtain environmental permits, evaluate regulatory requirements, and to develop cost effective compliance programs.

For further information contact Caltha LLP at
info@calthacompany.com
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Caltha LLP Website