The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that Forward Inc., of Manteca, has agreed to a settlement to resolve alleged violations of air pollution laws at its landfill in Manteca. The settlement requires Forward to spend approximately $3.8 million to improve the landfill’s gas collection and control system and to replace trucks in the landfill’s fleet with less polluting vehicles. Forward has also agreed to pay a civil penalty of $200,000, to be shared with the San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District, a co-plaintiff in the enforcement action against Forward.
Archive for March, 2012
SJV LANDFILL TO SPEND $3.8 MILLION TO RESOLVE CAA VIOLATIONS
Wednesday, March 28th, 2012EPA Proposes First Carbon Pollution Standard for Future Power Plants
Wednesday, March 28th, 2012Following a 2007 Supreme Court ruling, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today proposed the first Clean Air Act standard for carbon pollution from new power plants. The rule creates a path forward for new technologies to be deployed at future facilities that will allow companies to burn coal, while emitting less carbon pollution. The proposed standard, is flexible and would help minimize carbon pollution through the deployment of the same types of modern technologies and steps that power companies are already taking to build the next generation of power plants. The rulemaking proposed today only concerns new generating units that will be built in the future, and does not apply to existing units already operating or units that will start construction over the next 12 months.
Requirements published by EPA for Continuous Opacity Monitoring Systems (COMS) at Stationary Sources
Wednesday, March 28th, 2012The EPA published a direct final rule titled “Quality Assurance Requirements for Continuous Opacity Monitoring Systems at Stationary Sources” in the Federal Register on February 14, 2012. Because the EPA received adverse comments to the parallel proposed rule issued under the same name on February 14, 2012, the EPA is withdrawing the direct final rule.
DATES: As of March 28, 2012, the EPA withdraws the direct final rule published on February 14, 2012 (77 FR 8160).
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-03-28/pdf/2012-7487.pdf
EPA Issues No Action Assurance for Area Source Boiler Tune-Up Deadline
Monday, March 26th, 2012On Tuesday, March 13, 2012, U.S. EPA issued a No Action Assurance (NAA) Letter for the March 21, 2012 initial tune-up work practice standard deadlines codified in 40 CFR Part 63, Subpart JJJJJJ – National Emission Standard for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Industrial, Commercial, and Institutional Boilers Area Sources (Area Source Boiler MACT).
According to the EPA, they will not pursue enforcement actions for violations of the March 21, 2012 initial tune-up deadline.
On December 23, 2011, U.S. EPA published a proposed reconsideration of the Area Source Boiler MACT that would extend the initial tune-up requirement to March 21, 2013, providing facilities an additional year to achieve compliance. U.S. EPA has not yet finalized the proposed reconsideration of the Area Source Boiler MACT.
The NAA letter will remain in effect until October 1, 2012 or until the proposed reconsideration is published final, whichever occurs first.
Implementation of the NSR Program for PM Less Than 2.5 Micrometers (PM2.5): Amendment to the Definition “Regulated NSR Pollutant” for Condensable PM
Friday, March 16th, 2012The EPA is proposing to revise the definition “regulated NSR pollutant” contained in two sets of Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) regulations and in the EPA’s Emission Offset Interpretative Ruling. This revision would correct an inadvertent error made in 2008 when the EPA issued its final rule to implement the new source review (NSR) program for fine particles with an aerodynamic diameter of less than or equal to 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5). Effectively, this revision would reestablish the interpretation that for measurement of ‘‘particulate matter emissions’’ in the context of the PSD and NSR regulations there is no explicit requirement to include measurement of condensable PM. However, the condensable portion would continue to be required for emissions of particles with an aerodynamic diameter of less than or equal to 10 micrometers (PM10) and PM2.5.
Dates: Comments must be received on or before May 15, 2012.
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-03-16/pdf/2012-6429.pdf
Revisions to the California State Implementation Plan: Mojave Desert AQMD and Yolo-Solano AQMD for Glass Melting Furnaces and Biomass Boilers
Wednesday, March 14th, 2012EPA is proposing to approve revisions to the Mojave Desert Air Quality Management District (MDAQMD) and Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District (YSAQMD) portions of the California State Implementation Plan (SIP). These revisions concern oxides of nitrogen (NOX) emissions from glass melting furnaces and biomass boilers. The EPA is approving local rules that regulate these emission sources under the Clean Air Act as amended in 1990 (CAA or the Act). The EPA is taking comments on this proposal and plan to follow with a final action.
DATES: Any comments must arrive by March 29, 2012.
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-02-28/pdf/2012-4729.pdf
Agency Information Collection Activities for NESHAP for Natural Gas Transmission and Storage
Wednesday, March 14th, 2012The National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for Natural Gas Transmission and Storage (40 CFR part 63, subpart HHH) were proposed on February 6, 1998, and promulgated on June 17, 1999. These regulations apply to existing facilities and new facilities that are major sources of hazardous air pollutants (HAP) and that either transport or store natural gas prior to entering the pipeline to a local distribution company or to a final end user (if there is no local distribution company).
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-03-13/pdf/2012-6015.pdf
Quality Assurance Requirements for Continuous Opacity Monitoring Systems at Stationary Sources
Wednesday, March 14th, 2012The EPA is extending the comment period for the proposed rule titled, “Quality Assurance Requirements for Continuous Opacity Monitoring Systems at Stationary Sources” that was published in the Federal Register on February 14, 2012. The proposed rule accompanied the direct final rule that was also published on February 14, 2012. The 30-day comment period in the proposed rule is scheduled to end on March 15, 2012. The extended comment period will close on April 30, 2012. The EPA is extending the comment period because of a request we received in a timely manner.
DATES: The comment period for the proposed rule published February 14, 2012 (77 FR 8209), is extended. Comments must be received on or before April 30, 2012.
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-03-08/html/2012-5642.htm
Tags: Comment Period, COMS, Continuous Opacity Monitoring, EPA, stationary source
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