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Permit Application Guidance - Where to Start

The type of permit you require is dependent on the type of stationary source you have, or air pollutant causing activity. Select a tab below to learn more:

Source

What is a source?

A source is any facility that emits or may emit any regulated air pollutant.

The Division of Air Quality refers to your source as a Stationary Source even if it is mobile like an asphalt plant or a rock crusher.

What is a regulated air pollutant?

Regulated Air Pollutants are typically products of combustion.

Regulated air pollutants include but are not limited to:

  • nitrogen oxides (NOx)
  • carbon monoxide (CO)
  • particulate matter (PM)
  • sulfur dioxide (SO2)
  • volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and
  • hazardous air pollutants (HAPs)
Examples of stationary sources

Fuel Limited Diesel Electric Plants

A General Permit A (GPA) is available for some Fuel Limited Diesel Electric Plants in the form of a renewal. For qualifying diesel-electric generating stations, see General Permit-A (GPA).

Asphalt Plants

Asphalt Plant means a stationary source that manufactures asphalt concrete by heating and drying aggregate and mixing asphalt cements; "asphalt plant includes any combination of dryers, systems for screening, handling, storing, and weighing dried aggregate, systems for loading, transferring, and storing mineral filler, systems for mixing, transferring, and storing asphalt concrete, and emission control systems within the stationary source.

An asphalt plant with a rated capacity of at least 5 tons per hour might require a Minor General Permit (MG3), or a Minor Source Specific (MSS) permit.

Please read through the applicable permit applications for more information.

Rock Crushers

A rock crusher means a machine used to crush any nonmetallic minerals, and includes but is not limited to, the following types: Jaw, gyratory, cone, roll rod mill, hammer mill, and impactor.

A rock crusher with a rated capacity of at least 5 tons per hour might require a Minor General Permit (MG9), or a Minor Source Specific (MSS) permit.

Please read through the applicable permit applications for more information.

Asphalt plant (with or without a rock crusher) that do not qualify for MG3 or MG9

An asphalt plant with, or without rock crushing, that does not qualify for an MG3 or an MG9 permit might require a General Permit (GP3), or a Minor Source Specific (MSS) permit.

Oil and Gas Drilling

“Portable Oil and Gas Operating” means an operation that moves from site to site to drill or test an oil or gas well, and that uses drill rigs, equipment associated with drill rigs and drill operations, well test flares, equipment associated with well test flares, camps, or equipment associated with camp. For the purposes of this meaning, “test", means a test that involves the use of a flare.

An oil and gas drilling rig might require a Minor General Permit (MG1), or a Minor Source Specific (MSS) permit.

Please read through the applicable permit applications for more information.

Gasoline Distribution Bulk Storage Facility

A gasoline distribution facility means a stationary source that stores fuel including gasoline and that transfers gasoline from storage tanks to delivery tanks.

Diesel Generating Facility

A diesel generator facility is a source with one or more diesel engines (or emission units). PAELs are sometimes used by Diesel Generating Facilities to avoid Title V permits.

  • Limits on the allowable emissions of, or potential to emit, nitrogen oxides from diesel engines may be established by restricting the amount of fuel that may be burned in an engine.
  • New and existing sources might qualify for a Pre-Approved Emission Limit (PAEL2).
  • PAELs may not be appropriate if other permitting requirements apply.
  • Please contact: Kathie Mulkey, phone: 907-269-6877.

Open Burning

Open burning means the burning of a material that results in the products of combustion being emitted directly into the ambient air without passing through a stack, flare, vent, or other opening of an emission unit from which an air pollutant could be emitted. This does NOT include:

  • A campfire
  • A barbecue
  • A ceremonial fire
  • Use of a candle
  • Use of a cigar, cigarette, or pipe
  • Use of celebratory fireworks

Are you burning inside the Municipality of Anchorage?

Are you burning less than 40 acres?

    • If Yes:
    • If No to the above, then apply for an open burn approval with the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), Division of Air Quality (AQ) using hard copy applications.

Incinerators

”Incinerator” means a device used for the thermal oxidation of garbage or other wastes, other than a wood-fired heating device, including an air curtain incinerator, burning waste other than clean lumber, wood wastes, or yard waste.

If your stationary source includes an incinerator, please refer to the incinerator checklist for assistance with potentially applicable regulations.

Types of Permits

Once you have defined your "source," also known as "stationary source" type, you still need to determine the type of permit required.

Open Burn Application

If you have determined you need an Open Burn Approval from the Division of Air Quality, you may apply using hard copy applications. The directions, applications and fee information is located online.

Construction and Minor Permit Applications

Construction Permits

  • There are 28 Facility types listed under 40 CFR 52.21 (b)(1)(i)(a). If you are one of these facility types then your emission threshold for a construction permit is 100 tpy of any regulated pollutant.
  • If you are NOT one of these 28 facility types then your emission threshold for a construction permit is 250 tpy of any regulated pollutant.

Minor Source Specific Permits

  • If you do not require a construction permit, you might still fall under the regulatory requirements of a Minor Source Specific (MSS) permit

For information and forms related to Construction Permits and MSS permits please refer to the online Construction and Minor Permit Applications page.

The Division of Air Qualityis available to answer questionsregarding permits and applications.

It might be necessary for a Pre-Application account to be established for billing purposes. Please contact the Anchorage permit intake clerk for assistance: Kathie Mulkey, phone: 907-269-6877

General Permit Application

The Division of Air Quality offers Several General Permits. The documentation for these permits can be found linked below.

You will need to know your sources regulated air pollutant emissions or Potential to Emit (PTE) to determine which asphalt plant or rock crusher permit you require. The MG3 and MG9 are for smaller sources, the GP3 is for larger facilities.

Operating Permit

Operating permits are also known as Title V permits. Title V is a federal program designed to standardize air quality permits for facilities that have the potential to emit 10 tons per year or more of any single hazardous air pollutant (HAP) or 25 tons per year or more of any combination of HAPs, or more than 100 tons per year of any of the other criteria air pollutants (NOx, CO, PM, SO2, and VOC).

For questions regarding operating permits: Scott Faber, phone: 907-269-6883

Owner Requested Limit (ORL) & Preapproved Emission Limit (PAEL) Forms

ORLs - If you would like to request an enforceable limit on the stationary source's ability to emit air pollutants in order to avoid all permitting obligations, contact ADEC to see if you qualify for an Owner Requested Limit (ORL) under 18 AAC 50.225.

Contact: (Juneau) Dave Jones, phone: 907-465-5122

Pre-Approved Emissions Limit Requests (PAEL's):

  • Gasoline Distribution Bulk Storage Facility (PAEL1)
  • Diesel Generator Facility (PAEL2)

If you believe you might require a PAEL, please read the PAEL Applicability Notice document found on the ORL and PAEL applications and forms website.

Calculate Emissions

Potential to emit (PTE) refers to the highest amount of a certain pollutant that your facility could release into the air. Potential to emit takes into consideration the design, controls, and limitations of your facility's operation.

Below are various methods on how to calculate PTE.

Emission Factors

EPA's publication AP-42 is a compilation of emission factors based on real operating facilities. Select the appropriate factor for your process, and multiply the factor by the production rate or fuel input rate to calculate the estimated Potential to Emit.

Example: The factor for Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) from a diesel industrial engine can be found on Table 3.3-1 in AP-42. A 350 horsepower engine operating 8760 hours/year would have the following emission estimate: 0.031 lb./hp-hr x 350 hp x 8760 hr. = 95,046 lb./yr. (47.5 ton/yr) of NOx emissions

Material Balance

This method is based on the premise that what goes in, must come out. By identifying the quantity of each raw material entering the process and how much is in the finished product, the by-products and emissions can be calculated.

Example: a wood furniture manufacturer uses 1,000 gallons a year of lacquer which contains 5.0 lb./gal of volatile organic compounds (VOC's). The actual VOC content can be obtained from the manufacturer; 5.0 was used for this example. 5 lb./gal x 1,000 gal/yr. = 5,000 lb./yr. (2.5 TPY) VOC emissions

Stack Testing

This method relies on actual sampling and analysis of the emission source. Precautions should be taken when using stack emissions data, since the test results may vary from normal day to day operations. Basing the estimates on only one test is not recommended, but may be the only data available in some instances. This is a situation where engineering judgment may be used in addition to the test data.

Example: routine emissions testing of a gas scrubber has established the emissions are 1 lb./hr. of particulate (PM10). The scrubber operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (8,760 hrs/yr.). 1 lb./hr. x 8,760 hrs/yr. = 8,760 lb./yr. or 4.38 TPY

Engineering Judgment

In some situations, good air emission data is not available, particularly for new facilities. "Source Specific models" can be used to estimate emissions. This may include comparing your operation to other similar emission sources, or using the physical characteristics of the equipment with recognized engineering formulas. A permit modification may be needed if the initial emissions testing indicates that actual emission rates are higher than originally estimated.

If you don't know your source type, please contact:

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