Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.
Please see www.epa.gov/nsr for the latest information on EPA's New Source Review program.
April, 1981 PSD Guidance Document 9.4
THE TEXT YOU ARE VIEWING IS A COMPUTER-GENERATED OR RETYPED VERSION OF A
PAPER PHOTOCOPY OF THE ORIGINAL. ALTHOUGH CONSIDERABLE EFFORT HAS BEEN
EXPENDED TO QUALITY ASSURE THE CONVERSION, IT MAY CONTAIN TYPOGRAPHICAL
ERRORS. TO OBTAIN A LEGAL COPY OF THE ORIGINAL DOCUMENT, AS IT
CURRENTLY EXISTS, THE READER SHOULD CONTACT THE OFFICE THAT ORIGINATED
THE CORRESPONDENCE OR PROVIDED THE RESPONSE.
9.4 ---------------------- | FOR THE MOST CURRENT | | GUIDANCE CONTACT | | NPS AT THE LISTED | | ADDRESS | ----------------------
This document provides guidance to persons intending to submit a Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) permit application for a Major Emitting Facility (MEF) that has the potential to impact a Class I area managed by the National Park Service (NPS). Much of the information needed by the NPS to adequately evaluate a permit application must be collected well before the permit is submitted. By following the guidance in this document, the applicant can prevent delays in the review process caused by an incomplete application. Also, under a cooperative agreement with the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the NPS Air Quality Division is providing technical review of PSD permits that affect FWS Class I areas. Therefore, the guidance provided herein applies to the FWS Class I areas as well.
The Clean Air Act (CAA), as amended in August, 1977, is a unique tool for use in the preservation of air quality and sensitive resources in the National Park and Wildlife Refuges. Sections 160-169 of the Act established a detailed policy and regulatory program to protect the quality of the air in regions of the United States in which the air is cleaner than required by the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) to protect public health and welfare. One of the purposes of the program of Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) is "to preserve, protect, and enhance the air quality in national parks, national wilderness areas, national monuments, national seashores, and other areas of special national or regional natural, recreational, scenic, or historic value." Under the PSD provisions, Congress established a land classification scheme for those areas of the country with air quality better than the NAAQS. Class I allows very little deterioration of air quality; Class II allows moderate deterioration; and Class III allow more deterioration; but n all cases, the pollution concentrations shall not violate any of the NAAQS. Congress designated certain existing areas as mandatory Class I which precludes redesignation to a less restrictive class, in order to acknowledge the value of maintaining these areas in relatively pristine condition. These mandatory Class I areas include: (1) international parks (2) national wilderness areas and national memorial parks in excess of 5,000 acres; and (3) national parks in excess of 6,000 acres existing as of August 7, 1977. The National Park System includes 48 mandatory Class I areas (see Appendix A) and The Fish and Wildlife Service manages 21 mandatory Class I areas (See Appendix B). All mandatory Class I areas with their respective Federal land Managers are given in the November 30, 1979, FEDERAL REGISTER. Lands can be redesignated by the States and, in some cases, by Indian tribes, as explained in Section 164 of the Act. Congress also protected other nationally significant lands by originally designating them as Class II and restricting redesignation to Class I only. These areas include existing national monuments, national primitive areas, national preserves, national recreation areas, national wildlife refuges, national wild and scenic rivers, national lakeshores and seashores in excess of 10,000 acres, and newly established national parks or wilderness areas in excess of 10,000 acres. All other areas were initially classified as Class II, and can be redesignated as either Class I or Class III. Section 164(d) required the FLM to review all national monuments, primitive areas, and national preserves and to recommend any appropriate areas for redesignation to Class I. The recommendations, with supporting analysis, were reported to the Congress and the affected States and Indian tribes, that were responsible for undertaking any redesignation. These recommendations may be found in the June 25, 1980, FEDERAL REGISTER. Congress provided two methods for protecting air quality and resources sensitive to changes in air quality. Section 163 established maximum allowable increases in air quality over baseline concentrations of certain pollutants
Congress also gave the FLM an affirmative responsibility to protect AQRVs in mandatory Class I areas. AQRVs are all those values possessed by an area that may be affected by changes in air quality, and include all those assets of an area whose visibility, significance, or integrity are dependent upon the air environment. These values include visibility, odor, flora, fauna, and geological resources; archeological, historical, and other cultural resources; and soils and water quality resources. In the permit review process, no permit shall be issued if the FLM can convince the permitting authorities that one or more AQRV will be adversely affected regardless of whether the PSD increments would be met. Conversely, if the major emitting facility can convince the permitting authority and the FLM that no damage to AQRVs will occur, the source may be allowed to exceed the Class I PSD increments. Congress has determined that potential impacts on visibility in mandatory Class I areas are so serious that special provisions are necessary to protect this specific air quality related value. Under the requirements of Section 169A of the CAA, the EPA promulgated regulations (40 CFR 51 Subpart P) that require those States with mandatory Class I areas submit implementation plans that assure the prevention of future and the remedying of existing visibility impairment. Federal Land Managers have already determined that visibility is an important value in all 48 of the mandatory Class I areas managed by the National Park Service. A recommendation on the 21 mandatory areas managed by FWS has not as yet been made. In order to remedy existing visibility impairment, the states are to establish regulations requiring that major stationary sources that were in existence on August 7, 1977 (but that were not in excess of 15 years old on that date) be retrofitted with controls representing the best available retrofit technology if those sources pose a threat to visibility in a mandatory Class I area. Prevention of future impairment is to be accomplished under the new sources review process. All the requirements of Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 52, section 52.21 (40 CFR 52.21) are applicable. Those requirements that the National Park Service will especially be reviewing are discussed in this section. Air Quality Review [40 CFR 52.21(k)] The permit application must contain an air quality analysis that analyzes the effect of the MEF on the Class I increment. The applicant shall base the air quality review on approved models as specified in 40 CFR 52.21 (l) (Guideline on Air Quality Models). All assumptions for the analysis should be explicitly stated, and sufficient information on modelling input should be furnished so that the model analysis can be duplicated by the NPS. The model must make maximum use of meteorological data as specified in the referenced Guideline on Air Quality Models. If the analysis indicates violations of Class I increments, the application must attempt to prove that there would be no damage to AQRVs. The applicant may wish to contact the National Park Service Air Quality Division (P.O. Box 25287, Denver, CO 80225) before doing the air quality review to be sure that the model will adequately predict the impact on the Class I area. Monitoring [40 CFR 52.21 (m)] A complete permit application must contain preapplication air monitoring data. In general one year of data is required. The National Park Service Air Quality Division should be contacted to facilitate installation of monitoring equipment in NPS Class I areas. Initiation of air monitoring studies in the National Parks originates in this office which in turn seeks the cooperation of the appropriate NPS Regional Office and Park Superintendent. This office will also coordinate monitoring efforts with the appropriate FWS authorities, if applicable. Since there are monitoring programs underway in several parks, contacting the Air Quality Division can help avoid duplication of effort. Source Information [40 CFR 52.21 (n)] The application must show that all sources have applied BACT for each pollutant emitted. In general, the source parameter information required by the State or EPA will suffice for the NPS permit review. However, by consulting with the Air Quality Division as soon as results of the air quality impact assessment are available, possible delays after permit submittal can be avoided should the NPS require additional information. Additional Impact Analyses [40 CFR 52.21 (o)] Because the Federal Land Manager has an affirmative responsibility to protect air quality related values in Class I areas and to consider whether a proposed source or modification will have an adverse impact on such values, the NPS and FWS is most interested in additional impact analyses required under 40 CFR 52.21 (o). Specifically the applicant should provide an analysis of the impairment to visibility, soils, flora, and fauna that would occur as a Analysis of the potential adverse impacts on soils, flora and fauna should include existing vegetation types, the percent cover and biomass, spatial distribution and land use. Rare and endangered species and acidic wetlands should also be identified. Ozone concentrations and estimates of fluoride and heavy metal emissions must be supplied with pollutant baseline concentrations and pollutant contribution from all sources. The application must include an analysis of potential visual impairment caused by the project including effects on visual range, contrast changes, and atmospheric discoloration. The magnitude, frequency, and duration of the impairment must be specified. Guidance for estimating visibility impairment is available from the EPA (Workbook for Estimating Visibility Impairment, EPA 450/4-80-031). Pictorial presentation of the results using photographs, computer simulations or artist's conceptions would be beneficial. To assist the applicant in performing these additional impact analyses, the NPS and FWS will provide to the applicant, within 60 days of his request, a list of sensitive receptors in the potentially impacted Class I area. The applicant should submit his request to the Park Service Air Quality Division.
Notify NPS Class 1 Area Superintendant at:
Acadia National Park
Arches National Park
Badlands National Monument
Bandelier National Monument
Big Bend National Park
Black Canyon of the Gunnison, National Monument
Bryce Canyon National Park
Canyonlands National Park
Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Capitol Reef National Park
Chiricahua National Monument
Crater Lake National Park
Craters of the Moon National Monument
Everglades National Park
Glacier National Park
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Teton National Park
Great Smoky Mountain National Park
Great Sand Dunes National Monument
Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Haleakala National Park
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Isle Royale National Park
Joshua Tree National Monument
Kings Canyon National Park
Lassen Volcanic National Park
Lava Beds National Monument
Mammoth Cave National Park
Mesa Verde National Park
Mount McKinley National Park
Mount Rainier National Park
North Cascades National Park
Sequoia National Park
Olympic National Park
Petrified Forest National Park
Pinnacles National Monument
Point Reyes National Seashore
Redwood National Park
Rocky Mountain National Park
Saguaro National Monument
Shenandoah National Park
Theodore Roosevelt National Memorial Park
Virgin Islands National Park
Voyageurs National Park
Wind Cave National Park
Yellowstone National Park
Yosemite National Park
Zion National Park
National Park Service Air Quality Program Manager
FWS Permit Notification List
ALASKA AREA OFFICE
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
National Park Service
DOI - FWS, Division of Refuges
Bering Sea
Simeonof
Tuxedni
Chassahowitzka
Wolf Island
Okefenokee
Mooshorn
Seney
Delta-Breton
Mingo
UL Bend
Medicine Lake [a superscript "2" appeared here] Monida Star Routh, Box 15 Lima, MT 59729
Brigantine
Bitter Lake
Bosque del Apache
Swanquarter
Lostwood
Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge
Cape Romain |