2400379 Hearing on Proposed Rulemaking on Revisions to Air Quality Opacity Requirements

 DISTRICT DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT

 

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING ON AIR QUALITY ISSUES

 

Proposed Rulemaking on Revisions to Air Quality Opacity Requirements

 

Notice is hereby given that a public hearing will be held on Monday, June 11, 2012 at 5:30 p.m. in Room 512 at 1200 First Street, N.E., 5th Floor, in Washington, D.C., 20002. This hearing provides interested parties an opportunity to comment on the District’s proposed rulemaking revising air quality opacity requirements.

 

The proposed rules would amend 20 DCMR § 606 by providing an exception to the opacity standard of up to ten percent through a permitting process pursuant to 20 DCMR chapter 2 or 3, in situations where the regulated entity can document that it is unable to reasonably attain compliance with the current zero percent opacity standard. In addition to documentation, in order to obtain an alternative to the zero percent standard, the entity would be required to document compliance with all other particulate matter standards and show that the emissions from the subject source would not cause a violation of any National Ambient Air Quality Standard and that operation at the higher visible emissions level is not a sign of improper operation of the equipment. This change will make the District’s regulation more consistent with the regulations of surrounding jurisdictions that have more exceptions to their standards or less stringent standards that allow up to twenty percent opacity.

 

In addition, the proposed rulemaking deletes the last two subsections of this section as additional enforcement provisions are not necessary since the general air quality enforcement provisions in 20 DCMR § 100, and specifically 20 DCMR § 105, are sufficient for enforcement of this section. 

 

The proposed regulation is available for public review during normal business hours at the offices of the District Department of the Environment (DDOE), 1200 First Street, NE, Washington, D.C. 20002, and on-line at http://ddoe.dc.gov. Interested parties wishing to testify at this hearing must submit in writing their names, addresses, telephone numbers, and affiliation, if any, to Mr. William Bolden at DDOE by 4:00 p.m. on Monday, June 11, 2012. Interested parties may also submit written comments to Ms. Cecily Beall, District Department of the Environment, Air Quality Division, 1200 First Street, NE, 5^th Floor, Washington, D.C. 20002 or electronically to [e-mail]. No written or email comments will be accepted after June 11, 2012. For more information or to find out if the public hearing has been canceled, Ms. Beall may also be contacted at [phone] or by email at [e-mail].