Q&A that is frequently asked

NESHAP/MACT Part 61/Part 63

What are the National Emissions Standards For Hazardous Air Pollutants?
The general provisions to the New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) in 40 CFR Parts 60 and the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) in 40 CFR Parts 61 and 63, under the Clean Air Act, provide that a source owner or operator may request a determination of whether certain intended actions constitute the commencement of construction, reconstruction, or modification. EPA's written responses to these inquiries are broadly termed applicability determinations.

The NSPS and NESHAP also allow sources to seek permission to use monitoring or recordkeeping which is different from the promulgated requirements. EPA's written responses to these inquiries are broadly termed alternative monitoring decisions.

Further, EPA responds to written inquiries about the broad range of NSPS and NESHAP regulatory requirements as they pertain to a specific source. These inquiries question whether a regulation applies to a specific source, or may relate to the testing, monitoring, recordkeeping or reporting requirements contained in the regulation as it applies to a specific source.
The EPA currently issues approximately 100 memoranda per year pertaining to NSPS and NESHAP applicability determinations and alternative monitoring decisions, and handles countless telephone and electronic mail requests from the regulated community and from State and Local Agencies implementing the NSPS and the NESHAP programs.

Who do I contact for more information about NESHAP in Region 10?

For Technical Information Contact Madonna Narvaez at (206) 553-2117. For delegation requests contact Lucita Valiere at (206) 553-8087

What is a MACT?

A maximum achievable control technology is the best available technology to abate a toxic pollutant from a given source. There are currently 35 MACT source categories regulated in the Pacific Northwest region. Sources of the same category report what works for them to economically achieve their NESHAP standards. A MACT is imposed when it is found to be the best economically achievable way to regulate a hazardous air pollutant.

Where can I find affected source lists for some of the newer MACTs that are coming out?

For all of the affected source lists that are available, they are posted on-line. Go to http://www.epa.gov/ttn/atw/eparules.htmlclick on the Tables of Completed or Tables of Proposed Regulations, and then click on the MACT in question to see if the affected source lists are available. For some of the newer MACTs, EPA is still working on collecting or cleaning up that information.

There is also a general document posted on-line, with instructions for locating affected sources. It's posted at http://www.epa.gov/ttn/atw/gp/gppg.html#IMP. It was written in 1996, and is called, "Source Identification Procedures for Sources Subject to Regulations under Section 111(d) of the CAA as Amended in 1990.

Additional information on the upcoming MACTs is temporarily available at http://www.epa.gov/ttn/atw/112j/info/112(j)-table2.html

How do I get a listing of the sources subject to MACT in my area?

Follow this step by step approach to find MACT sources in any region:

1) go to http://www.epa.gov/idea/mact/ and select Alaska as a region.

2) use the default options and click 'submit'. This will take you to a large spreadsheet with the relevant Macts and how many facilities are in your state. Keep in mind however, that these numbers are grossly inflated. Some of the facilities are closed and the database is a bit out of date.

3) If you click on the 'view' button to the left of the spreadsheet a list of the facilities with names and addresses will pop up. Notice that many of the facilities are duplicates. I'm not quite sure the reason for this, but basically it means you should count the different OPEN facilities and not just rely on the number listed in the internet spreadsheet.

For Questions Contact
Madonna Narvaez
(206)553-2117

Where can I find information about the facilities subject to a MACT in my region?

1) go to http://www.epa.gov/idea/mact/ and select the state or region of choice.

2) use the default options and click 'submit'. This will take you to a large spreadsheet with the relevant Macts and how many facilities are in your state or region. Keep in mind however, that these numbers are somewhat inflated. Some of the facilities listed are non-operational.

3) If you click on the 'view' button to the left of the spreadsheet a list of the facilities with names and addresses will pop up. Notice that many of the facilities are duplicates. I'm not quite sure the reason for this, but basically it means you should count the different OPEN facilities and not just rely on the number listed in the internet spreadsheet. To view a detailed report about the facility, click on 'facility report'.


NSPS Part 60/Part62


What are New Source Performance Standards?
The general provisions to the New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) in 40 CFR Parts 60 and the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) in 40 CFR Parts 61 and 63, under the Clean Air Act, provide that a source owner or operator may request a determination of whether certain intended actions constitute the commencement of construction, reconstruction, or modification. EPA's written responses to these inquiries are broadly termed applicability determinations.
The NSPS and NESHAP also allow sources to seek permission to use monitoring or recordkeeping which is different from the promulgated requirements. EPA's written responses to these inquiries are broadly termed alternative monitoring decisions.

Further, EPA responds to written inquiries about the broad range of NSPS and NESHAP regulatory requirements as they pertain to a specific source. These inquiries question whether a regulation applies to a specific source, or may relate to the testing, monitoring, recordkeeping or reporting requirements contained in the regulation as it applies to a specific source.

The EPA currently issues approximately 100 memoranda per year pertaining to NSPS and NESHAP applicability determinations and alternative monitoring decisions, and handles countless telephone and electronic mail requests from the regulated community and from State and Local Agencies implementing the NSPS and the NESHAP programs.

Who do I contact for more information about NSPS in Region 10?

For Technical Information Contact Madonna Narvaez at (206) 553-2117. For delegation requests contact Lucita Valiere at (206) 553-8087.


Residual Risk/Risk Assessment

What is residual Risk for Air Toxics?
Section 112(f) of the Clean Air Act (CAA) requires EPA to complete a Report to Congress that includes a discussion of methods the EPA would use to evaluate the risks remaining after the application of maximum achievable control technology (MACT) standards. These are known as residual risks. EPA published the Residual Risk Report to Congress in March 1999. The CAA also directs the EPA to conduct risk assessments on each source category subject to MACT standards, and to determine if additional standards are needed to reduce residual risks.