Intermittent control systems.

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§ 51.119 Intermittent control systems.

(a) The use of an intermittent control system (ICS) may be taken into account in establishing an emission limitation for a pollutant under a State implementation plan, provided:

(1) The ICS was implemented before December 31, 1970, according to the criteria specified in § 51.119(b).

(2) The extent to which the ICS is taken into account is limited to reflect emission levels and associated ambient pollutant concentrations that would result if the ICS was the same as it was before December 31, 1970, and was operated as specified by the operating system of the ICS before December 31, 1970.

(3) The plan allows the ICS to compensate only for emissions from a source for which the ICS was implemented before December 31, 1970, and, in the event the source has been modified, only to the extent the emissions correspond to the maximum capacity of the source before December 31, 1970. For purposes of this paragraph, a source for which the ICS was implemented is any particular structure or equipment the emissions from which were subject to the ICS operating procedures.

(4) The plan requires the continued operation of any constant pollution control system which was in use before December 31, 1970, or the equivalent of that system.

(5) The plan clearly defines the emission limits affected by the ICS and the manner in which the ICS is taken into account in establishing those limits.

(6) The plan contains requirements for the operation and maintenance of the qualifying ICS which, together with the emission limitations and any other necessary requirements, will assure that the national ambient air quality standards and any applicable prevention of significant deterioration increments will be attained and maintained. These requirements shall include, but not necessarily be limited to, the following:

(i) Requirements that a source owner or operator continuously operate and maintain the components of the ICS specified at § 51.119(b)(3) (ii)-(iv) in a manner which assures that the ICS is at least as effective as it was before December 31, 1970. The air quality monitors and meteorological instrumentation specified at § 51.119(b) may be operated by a local authority or other entity provided the source has ready access to the data from the monitors and instrumentation.

(ii) Requirements which specify the circumstances under which, the extent to which, and the procedures through which, emissions shall be curtailed through the activation of ICS.

(iii) Requirements for recordkeeping which require the owner or operator of the source to keep, for periods of at least 3 years, records of measured ambient air quality data, meteorological information acquired, and production data relating to those processes affected by the ICS.

(iv) Requirements for reporting which require the owner or operator of the source to notify the State and EPA within 30 days of a NAAQS violation pertaining to the pollutant affected by the ICS.

(7) Nothing in this paragraph affects the applicability of any new source review requirements or new source performance standards contained in the Clean Air Act or 40 CFR subchapter C. Nothing in this paragraph precludes a State from taking an ICS into account in establishing emission limitations to any extent less than permitted by this paragraph.

(b) An intermittent control system (ICS) may be considered implemented for a pollutant before December 31, 1970, if the following criteria are met:

(1) The ICS must have been established and operational with respect to that pollutant prior to December 31, 1970, and reductions in emissions of that pollutant must have occurred when warranted by meteorological and ambient monitoring data.

(2) The ICS must have been designed and operated to meet an air quality objective for that pollutant such as an air quality level or standard.

(3) The ICS must, at a minimum, have included the following components prior to December 31, 1970:

(i) Air quality monitors. An array of sampling stations whose location and type were consistent with the air quality objective and operation of the system.

(ii) Meteorological instrumentation. A meteorological data acquisition network (may be limited to a single station) which provided meteorological prediction capabilities sufficient to determine the need for, and degree of, emission curtailments necessary to achieve the air quality design objective.

(iii) Operating system. A system of established procedures for determining the need for curtailments and for accomplishing such curtailments. Documentation of this system, as required by paragraph (n)(4), may consist of a compendium of memoranda or comparable material which define the criteria and procedures for curtailments and which identify the type and number of personnel authorized to initiate curtailments.

(iv) Meteorologist. A person, schooled in meteorology, capable of interpreting data obtained from the meteorological network and qualified to forecast meteorological incidents and their effect on ambient air quality. Sources may have obtained meteorological services through a consultant. Services of such a consultant could include sufficient training of source personnel for certain operational procedures, but not for design, of the ICS.

(4) Documentation sufficient to support the claim that the ICS met the criteria listed in this paragraph must be provided. Such documentation may include affidavits or other documentation.


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