Clean Air Act (CAA) - Transportation Environmental Resource ...

Please note: This summary is provided to help you understand the regulations. Consult the references provided for links to the full text of the regulations. ComplianceSummary ComplianceSummaryTool •Road •Rail •Air •Water TransportationModes •Road ServiceandMaintenanceFacilities WasteStorageandDisposal EngineEmissions VehicleOperation SmartWayProgram(EXITTERC) TanksandFuelStorage •Rail Terminals,Depots,ServiceFacilities WasteStorageandDisposal EngineEmissions RailcarMaintenance&Cleaning TanksandFuelStorage •Air AirportFacilitiesandServices AircraftOperation WasteStorageandDisposal TanksandFuelStorage •Water PortFacilities&Services WasteStorage&Disposal VesselOperations&Maintenance EngineEmissions Tanks&FuelStorage PortOperations(exitTERC) •Intermodal ServiceFunctions •Terminals&Facilities BuildingsandGrounds TanksandFuelStorage Water,WastewaterTreatmentandDisposal Operations SolidandHazardousWasteDisposal PortOperations(exitTERC) •Vehicles,Cargo EngineEmissions Fueling MaintenanceandCleaning Operations WasteDisposal •Fuel FuelingOperations FuelStorage Regulations •AirQuality •Water&Wastewater •Solid&HazardousWastes •Spills&Releases AllTopics •SeeCurrentTopics •SeeFutureTopics Pleasenote:Thissummaryisprovidedtohelpyouunderstandtheregulations.Consultthereferencesprovidedforlinkstothefulltextoftheregulations. CleanAirAct(CAA) General UntilCongresspassedtheCleanAirAct(CAA)in1970,therewasnocomprehensivefederalresponsetoaddressairpollution.ThatsameyearCongresscreatedtheEPAandgaveittheprimaryroleincarryingoutthelaw.Since1970,EPAhasbeenresponsibleforavarietyofCleanAirActprogramstoreduceairpollutionnationwide. TheCAAdefinesEPA'sresponsibilitiesforprotectingandimprovingthenation'sairqualityandthestratosphericozonelayer.Thelastmajorchangeinthelaw,theCleanAirActAmendments(CAAA)of1990,wasenactedbyCongressin1990.Legislationpassedsincethenhasmadeseveralminorchanges.Stateandlocalgovernmentsoversee,manage,andenforcemanyoftherequirementsoftheCAA. TheCleanAirActisafederallawcoveringtheentirecountry.However,statesandlocalgovernmentsdoalotoftheworktomeettheAct'srequirements.Forexample,representativesfromtheseagenciesworkwithcompaniestoreduceairpollution.Theyalsoreviewandapprovepermitapplicationsforindustriesorchemicalprocesses,monitorairquality,inspectfacilitiesundertheirjurisdictions,andenforceCleanAirActregulations. TheCAAconsistsofsixsections,referredtoasTitles.TitlesI-VIregulationscanbefoundin40CFR50-95.Eachsectionissummarizedbelow. TitleI-AirPollutionPreventionandControl TitleIgivesEPAtheauthoritytoestablishNationalAmbientAirQualityStandards(NAAQSs)tolimitlevelsofsixcriteriapollutantsincludingcarbonmonoxide,lead,nitrogenoxides,particulatematter(PM),ozone,andsulfurdioxide(40CFR50). TitleI,Section110oftheCAA,requireseachstatetodevelopaStateImplementationPlan(SIP)toidentifysourcesofairpollutionandtodeterminewhatreductionsarerequiredtomeetfederalairqualitystandards.TheSIPmustbeapprovedbyEPA,orEPAmaypromulgateaplanofitsown.OnceaSIPisapproved,itmaybeenforcedbybothfederalandstateauthorities(CAASection110,42U.S.C.,Section7410(a)(2)).GeographicareasthatmeetNAAQSsforgivenpollutantsareclassifiedasAttainmentAreas;thosethatdonotmeetNAAQSsareclassifiedasNonattainmentAreas.ThoseareasthatareclassifiedasnonattainmentmustupdatetheirSIPsinordertoimproveairquality.TransportationfacilitieslocatedinnonattainmentareasmayberequiredtoinstallReasonablyAvailableControlTechnology(RACT).RACTisdefinedas"devices,systems,processmodifications,orotherapparatusortechniquesthatarereasonablyavailable"inordertoobtainattainmentstatus. TitleIalsoauthorizesEPAtoestablishNewSourcePerformanceStandards(NSPSs),whicharenationallyuniformemissionstandardsfornewstationarysourcesfallingwithinparticularindustrialcategories(CAASection111).NSPSsarebasedonthepollutioncontroltechnologyavailabletothatcategoryofindustrialsourcebutallowtheaffectedindustriestheflexibilitytodeviseacost-effectivemeansofreducingemissions. TitleII-EmissionStandardsforMovingSources TitleIIoftheCAA(Section201-250)pertainstomobilesources,suchascars,trucks,locomotives,shipsandplanes.TheCleanAirActtakesacomprehensiveapproachtoreducingpollutionfromthesesourcesbyrequiring: manufacturerstobuildcleanerengines; refinerstoproducecleanerfuels;and certainareaswithairpollutionproblemstoadoptandrunpassengervehicleinspectionandmaintenanceprograms. UndertheCleanAirAct,standardsfortrucks,buses,locomotivesandshipsusingdieselengineswerestrengthened.Fortrucks,newvehicleengineemissionstandardsbegantotakeeffectinmodelyear2007,whicharebasedontheuseofhigh-efficiencycatalyticexhaustemissioncontroldevicesorcomparablyeffectiveadvancedtechnologies.Similarly,in2008,EPApassednewstandardsforlocomotiveandmarineengines,includingrequirementsfornewly-builtenginesthatarebasedonaftertreatmenttechnology.Thesestandardsareenabledbytheavailabilityofultra-lowsulfurdieselfuelandwillbefullyphasedinfornewenginesby2015. EPAbeganregulatingtheemissionsfromaircraftenginesin1973.Sincethattime,theyhaveworkedwiththeFAAandlaterwiththeInternationalCivilAviationOrganization(ICAO)todevelopinternationalstandardsandotherrecommendedpracticespertainingtoaircraftengineemissions.ThemostrecentemissionregulationspublishedbyEPA(2012)containstandardsandrelatedprovisionsforNOxcontrol. TitleIII-AirToxics UnderTitleI,EPAestablishedandenforcedtheNationalEmissionsStandardsforHazardousAirPollutants(NESHAPs),NESHAPsarenationallyuniformstandardsorientedtowardscontrollingparticularhazardousairpollutants(HAPs).TitleIIIfurtherdirectedEPAtodevelopalistofsourcesthatemitanyof187HAPslistedunderSection112oftheCAA,andtodevelopregulationsforthesecategoriesofsources.Todate,EPAhaslisted174categoriesanddevelopedaschedulefortheestablishmentofemissionstandards.Theemissionstandardsarebeingdevelopedforbothnewandexistingsourcesbasedonmaximumachievablecontroltechnology(MACT).TheMACTisdefinedasthecontroltechnologyachievingthemaximumdegreeofreductionintheemissionoftheHAPs,takingintoaccountcostandotherfactors. TheNESHAPforIndustrial,CommercialandInstitutionalBoilerandProcessHeaters(BoilerMACT)wasfinalizedonSeptember13,2004.Thisruleaffectsmanyindustrialownersofboilersandprocessheaters.Therulesetslimitsonfourclassesofpollutants:mercuryandmercurycompounds,metallicHAP's(non-mercury),inorganicHAP's,andorganicHAP's. TitleIV-AcidDepositionControl Acidrainoccurswhensulfurdioxideandnitrogenoxideemissionsarereleasedintotheatmosphereandreturntotheearthinrain,fog,orsnow.TitleIVestablishesasulfurdioxideemissionsprogramdesignedtoreducetheformationofacidrainbyrequiringpowerplantsandotherutilitiestoreducesulfurdioxideemissions.Reductionofsulfurdioxidereleaseswillbeobtainedbygrantingcertainsourceslimitedemissionsallowances.Thisprogrambeganin1995andsetlevelsofsulfurdioxidereleasesbelowpreviouslevels. TitleV-Permits TitleVoftheCAAAof1990createdapermitprogramforallmajorsources(andcertainothersources)regulatedundertheCAA.Onepurposeoftheoperatingpermitistoinclude,inonedocument,allairemissionsrequirementsthatapplytoagivenfacility.StatescontinuetodeveloptheirpermitprogramsinaccordancewithguidanceandregulationsfromEPA.OnceastateprogramisapprovedbyEPA,permitsareissuedandmonitoredbythatstate(seeAirPollutionStateResourceLocator). InordertoassesswhetheronerequiresaTitleVpermititisnecessarytoestimatepotentialemissionsfromeachmanufacturingstep/operation,includingreceivingandshipping.Principalpollutantemissionfactorsforsometransportation-relatedoperations(e.g.,painting,solventcleaning)havebeentabulatedtoaidindeterminingannualemissions.Thosewithoutfactorsneedtobeexperimentallymeasuredorestimatedbasedonlikeprocesses . IfemissionestimatesexceedorpotentiallymayexceedTitleVpermitsthenanoperatingpermitmustbesought.MostTitleVpermitsareissuedbystateandlocalpermittingauthorities.Thesepermitsareoftencalledpart70permitsbecausetheregulationsthatestablishminimumstandardsforStatepermitprogramsarefoundintheCodeofFederalRegulationsat40CFRpart70. TwodocumentsthatcanbeemployedtohelpyoudetermineifyourbusinessisaminorormajorsourceofairpollutionarePotentialtoEmit,AGuideforSmallBusinessesandAP42,FifthEditionCompilationofAirPollutantEmissionFactors.ThereferencePotentialtoEmitprovidesagoodexplanationoftherulesandexamplesofcalculationsusingemissionsfactors.AP-42containsemissionfactorsandprocessinformationformorethan200airpollutionsourcecategories,includingsometransportation-relatedoperations. TitleVI-StratosphericOzone TitleVIisintendedtoprotectstratosphericozonebyphasingoutthemanufactureofozone-depletingchemicalsandrestrictingtheiruseanddistribution.TitleVIrequiresEPAtolistallregulatedsubstancesalongwiththeirozonedepletionpotential,atmosphericlifetimes,andglobalwarmingpotentials. Stationaryrefrigerationandair-conditioningusedbythetransportationindustryisregulatedunderSection608oftheCleanAirActtominimizerefrigerantemissionsbymaximizingtherecoveryandrecyclingofsuchsubstancesduringtheservice,repair,ordisposalofrefrigerationandair-conditioningequipment(I.e.,appliances). Stateandlocalgovernmentsalsoplayanimportantroleinmeetingthenationalgoalofreducinggreenhousegas.Theyareparticipatinginnationalvoluntaryprogramsandinitiatives,analyzingthecostsandbenefitsofactionsanddevelopingandapplyinginnovativeprogramsandstrategiesthatachievewide-rangingbenefitstobusinesses,theenvironmentandpublichealth. EPAResources SmallBusinessEnvironmentalAssistanceProgram.Section507ofthe1990CleanAirActAmendmentsrequireseachstateestablishaSmallBusinessEnvironmentalAssistanceProgram(SBEAP)toassistsmallbusinesseswithenvironmentalcomplianceandemissionsreduction.FindyourSBEAPstatecontact. Home|Search|Disclaimer|WebsiteComments