Although Texas has had authority to approve air permits within the state since 1992, the EPA released a decision on Aug. 31, 2010 that declares the state program is inadequate and still needs adjustment if they expect to continue issuing permits.
The federal EPA has told the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) that the state’s clean-air permitting program does not meet minimal Clean Air Act requirements. Public input has been completed and evaluated by the EPA.
The EPA said that they would continue to work with the state and stakeholders to reach a revision of the state rules that would be satisfactory and the state would continue to issue permits under the previous agreement with federal oversight.
The New Source Review rules require that the best available technology be applied at any new plant or at an existing plant that undergoes a major modification. The federal agency determined that the state standards for major modification fell short of expectations. Changes to pollution control systems can result in an increase in emissions in other areas of a system and the EPA said that TCEQ’s NSR program would not have the necessary reporting and oversight to determine what the impacts on total air pollution levels.
RoyBigham roy@pollutionengineering.com Roy D. Bigham has been the editor of Pollution Engineering since 2002. Bigham attended Eastern Michigan University where
he majored in chemistry and computer science with an associates degree
in mathematics. He has worked as a laboratory technician at a research
laboratory, managed an electroplating operation and an associated
analytical laboratory. He spent three years overseeing environmental
operations of five domestic and five overseas operations for a major
manufacturer in the Detroit area. He then managed a field services
department for an environmental analytical laboratory before moving on
to a position as an environmental engineer for a construction
aggregates company.
Bigham
won a design award for a waste water treatment system for a landfill in
the Detroit area from the State Chamber of Commerce. He has been active
in the environmental field since 1980.
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