Proposed Amendments to the Best Available Control Technology (BACT) Guidelines
Summary
SCH Number
2021020129
Public Agency
South Coast Air Quality Management District
Document Title
Proposed Amendments to the Best Available Control Technology (BACT) Guidelines
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
2/5/2021
Document Description
Amendments to the BACT Guidelines are proposed that would update the Overview, Parts A, B, C, D, and E to maintain consistency with recent changes to South Coast AQMD rules and state requirements, as follows: 1) revise the Overview to add the complete names of Class I – Group III substances (ozone-depleting compound) to Table 2 and update the names of two South Coast AQMD divisions; 2) revise Part A – Policy and Procedures for Major Polluting Facilities, to list volatile organic compound as a principle precursor contributing to the formation of secondary particulate matter less than 2.5 microns and update the listing information in Chapter 2 based on the Lowest Achievable Emission Rate (LAER)/BACT determination forms; 3) revise Part B, Section I – South Coast AQMD LAER/BACT Determinations, to include seven new listings (e.g., Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer; Recuperative Thermal Oxidizer; Flare (Thermal Oxidizer) - Liquid Transfer and Handling Marine Loading; Process Heater – Non-Refinery (Thermal Fluid Heater); Internal Combustion (I.C.) Engine – Stationary - 147 and 385 brake horsepower - Non-Emergency- Electrical Generation with Non-Selective Catalytic Reduction; Duct Burner – Refinery Fuel Gas; Aluminum Heat Treating Oven 5.47 million British Thermal Units per hour and a Billet Temperature less than 970 degrees Fahrenheit) and to update one listing (e.g., Simple Cycle Gas Turbines - Natural Gas); 4) update Part C – Policy and Procedures for Non-Major Polluting Facilities, to make the Maximum Cost-Effectiveness Values in Table 5 consistent with the third quarter 2020 Marshall and Swift equipment index in accordance with BACT Guidelines policy; 5) revise Part D – Determinations for Non-Major Polluting Facilities, to reflect equipment and processes which have been achieved in practice and to maintain consistency with recent changes to South Coast AQMD rules and state requirements by adding two new listings (e.g., Wine Fermentation and Regenerative Thermal Oxidizers) and updating 13 existing listings (e.g., Coffee Roasting; Fermentation, Beer and Wine; Fish Reduction; Flare; Gas Turbine; Glass Screen Printing – Flat Glass; I.C. Engines; Open Process Tanks: Chemical Milling (Etching) and Plating; Polyester Resin Operations; Powder Coating Booth; Printing (Graphic Arts); Spray Booth; Thermal Oxidizer (Afterburner, Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer, and Thermal Recuperative Oxidizer), and Catalytic Oxidizer – Natural Gas Fired); 6) update all references to “District” and “SCAQMD” with “South Coast AQMD” for consistency with South Coast AQMD’s new branding guidelines.
Contact Information
Name
Margaret Isied
Agency Name
South Coast Air Quality Management District
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Email
Location
Counties
Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino
Other Location Info
The proposed project is located within the South Coast Air Quality Management District’s (South Coast AQMD) jurisdiction, which includes the four-county South Coast Air Basin (all of Orange County and the non-desert portions of Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties), and the Riverside County portion of the Salton Sea Air Basin and the non-Palo Verde, Riverside County portion of the Mojave Desert Air Basin.
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Other
Type, Section or Code
15061(b)(3), 15308
Reasons for Exemption
South Coast AQMD, as Lead Agency, has reviewed the proposed project pursuant to: 1) CEQA Guidelines Section 15002(k) – General Concepts, the three-step process for deciding which document to prepare for a project subject to CEQA; and 2) CEQA Guidelines Section 15061 – Review for Exemption, procedures for determining if a project is exempt from CEQA. Since the proposed project is comprised of updates that reflect current practices of LAER/BACT determinations in the BACT Guidelines and the most current achieved-in-practice air pollution control equipment and/or processes, and makes administrative amendments, it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the proposed project may have a significant adverse effect on the environment. Therefore, the proposed project is exempt from CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3) – Common Sense Exemption. The proposed project is also categorically exempt from CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15308 – Actions by Regulatory Agencies for Protection of the Environment, because the proposed project is designed to further protect or enhance the environment. Further, there is no substantial evidence indicating that any of the exceptions to the categorical exemption pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15300.2 apply to the proposed project.
County Clerks
Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino