Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation

Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation

Air Permits Program

Special Notice Regarding

"MACT Hammer"

The Clean Air Act requires certain permittees to submit applications by May 15, 2002.

The Act required EPA to adopt Maximum Achievable Control Technology [MACT] standards for hazardous air pollutants. For some Major sources EPA has missed the deadline. For those sources permittees must submit an application, and DEC was to be required to issue equivalent standards.

On April 5, 2002 EPA adopted final regulations to simplify the required application. On May 2, 2002 the Lieutenant Governor filed a state regulation adopting the simplified application requirement. The new regulations also delay the need for DEC MACT standards until EPA has completed theirs.

WHO IS AFFECTED?

Owners and operators of facilities that

1. Are HAP Major -- i.e., emit or have the potential to emit:

10 tons per year or more of any hazardous air pollutant or
25 tons per year or more of any combination of hazardous air pollutants

AND

2. Contain any of these:

combustion turbines,
industrial, commercial and institutional boilers and process heaters,
reciprocating internal combustion engines,
site remediation,
surface coating of asphalt or coal tar to metal pipes,
auto and light duty surface coating,
brick and structural clay products manufacturing,
engine test cells or stands,
fabric printing, coating or dyeing,
iron foundries,
lime manufacturing,
mercury cell chlor-alkali plants,
surface coating of metal cans,
paint stripping operations,
surface coating of plastic parts,
manufacturing of plywood and composite wood products,
primary magnesium refining,
refractory products manufacturing,
semiconductor production,
taconite ore processing, and
surface coating of wood building products.

WHAT MUST BE DONE?

Submit an abbreviated "Part 1" application by May 15 2002.

The abbreviated application must contain:

1. The name and address (physical location of the major source).

2. A brief description of the major source and an identification of the relevant source category.

3. An identification of the types of emission points belonging to the relevant source category; and

4. An identification of any affected sources for which a section 112(g) MACT determination has been made.

Applications should be submitted to:

Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation

Air Permits Program

555 Cordova Street

Anchorage, Alaska 99501

REGULATORY BACKGROUND

Section 112(j) of the Clean Air Act (as amended on November 15, 1990) required the Administrator of the EPA to promulgate emission standards for hazardous air pollutants (HAPS) by deadlines set in the Act. All emission standards were to have been promulgated by November 15, 2000. The EPA Administrator failed to promulgate all emission standards by the deadline.

EPA recognized that it would be impossible for owners and operators to make complete applications for Title V permits. So they divided the application required by the Clean Air Act into two parts.

Part 1 will contain the 4 items listed above. Due May 15, 2002.
Part 2 would contain information needed for state permitting agencies to issue standards equivalent to the MACT standards EPA is developing. These are not due until after EPA expects to adopt all standards, so they may never be needed.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The complete text of the EPA Rulemaking of April 5, 2002, is published at the Air Permits Web Site at

http://www.dec.state.ak.us/aqm/mainair.htm

For questions contact your local DEC Air Permits office.

In Juneau 465 5100

In Anchorage 269 7577

In Fairbanks 451 2360