§ 127.203. Facilities subject to special permit requirements.
(a) This subchapter applies to the construction of a new major facility or modification at an existing major facility located in a nonattainment area, an ozone transport region or an attainment or unclassifiable area which impacts a nonattainment area in excess of the following significance levels:
Pollutant Averaging time Annual 24 (hours) 8 (hours) 3 (hours) 1 (hours) SO2 1.0 µg/m3 5 µg/m3 - 25 µg/m3 - PM-10 1.0 µg/m3 5 µg/m3 - - - CO - - 0.5 mg/m3 - 2 mg/m3 Lead - 0.1 µg/m3 - - - PM2.5 0.2 µg/m3 1.2 µg/m3 - - - (b) The following provisions apply to an owner or operator of a facility located in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery or Philadelphia County or an area classified as a serious or severe ozone nonattainment area:
(1) The applicability requirements in § 127.203a (relating to applicability determination) apply except as provided by this subsection. The requirements of this subchapter apply if the aggregated emissions determined according to subparagraph (i) or (ii) exceed 25 TPY of NOx or VOCs.
(i) The proposed increases and decreases in emissions are aggregated with the other increases in net emissions occurring over a consecutive 5 calendar-year period, which includes the calendar year of the modification or addition which results in the emissions increase. The aggregated VOC or NOx emissions must meet the applicability requirements in paragraph (2) or (3).
(ii) The proposed increases and decreases in emissions are aggregated with other increases and decreases which occurred within 10 years prior to the date of submission of a complete plan approval application. If the aggregated emissions increase calculated using this subparagraph meets or exceeds the emissions rate that is significant, only the emissions offset requirements in § 127.205(3) (relating to special permit requirements) apply to the aggregated emissions.
(2) An increase in emissions of VOCs or NOx, other than a de minimis emission increase, from a discrete operation, unit or other pollutant emitting activity at a facility with a potential to emit less than 100 TPY of VOCs or NOx, is considered a modification unless the owner or operator elects to offset the increase by a greater reduction in emissions of VOCs or NOx from other operations, units or activities within the facility at an internal offset ratio of at least 1.3 to 1. If the owner or operator does not elect to offset at the required ratio, the increase is considered a modification and the BACT requirement is substituted for LAER. The owner or operator of the facility shall comply with all applicable requirements including the BAT requirement.
(3) An increase in emissions of VOCs or NOx, other than a de minimis emission increase, from a discrete operation, unit or other pollutant emitting activity at a facility with a potential to emit of 100 TPY or more, is considered a modification unless the owner or operator elects to offset the increase by a greater reduction in emissions of VOCs or NOx from other operations, units or activities within the facility at an internal offset ratio of at least 1.3 to 1. If the owner or operator elects to offset at the required ratio, the LAER requirement does not apply. The owner or operator of the facility shall comply with the applicable requirements including the BAT requirement.
(c) The NSR requirements of this subchapter apply to an owner or operator of:
(1) A facility at which the net emissions increase as determined under this subchapter meets or exceeds the applicable emissions rate that is significant. A decrease in a facility’s emissions will not qualify as a decrease for purposes of this subchapter unless the ERC provisions in § 127.207(1) and (3)—(7) (relating to creditable emissions decrease or ERC generation and creation) are met.
(2) A major facility subject to this subchapter which was deactivated for a period in excess of 1 year and is not in compliance with the reactivation requirements of § 127.215 (relating to reactivation).
(d) The requirements of this subchapter which apply to VOC emissions from major facilities and major modifications apply to NOx emissions from major facilities and major modifications in an ozone transport region or an ozone nonattainment area classified as marginal, basic, moderate, serious, severe or extreme, except in areas which the EPA has determined that additional reductions of NOx will not produce net air quality benefits.
(e) The following provisions apply to an owner or operator of a major facility subject to this subchapter:
(1) Approval to construct or modify an air contamination source or facility does not relieve an owner or operator of the responsibility to comply fully with applicable provisions of the SIP and other requirements under local, State or Federal law.
(2) If a particular source or modification becomes a major facility or major modification solely by virtue of a relaxation in an enforcement limitation which was established after August 7, 1980, on the capacity of the source or modification to emit a pollutant including a restriction on hours of operation, the requirements of this subchapter also apply to the source or modification as though construction had not yet commenced on the source or modification.
(f) The NSR requirements of this subchapter do not apply to an owner or operator of a major facility at which:
(1) A physical change or change in the method of operation still maintains its total facility-wide emissions below the PAL, meets the requirements in § 127.218 (relating to PALs) and complies with the PAL permit.
(2) A project results in a net emissions increase which does not meet or exceed the applicable emissions rate that is significant.
(3) A proposed de minimis increase results in a net emissions increase calculated using emissions increases and decreases which occurred within 10 years prior to the date of submission of a complete plan approval application, which does not meet or exceed the emissions rate that is significant.
(4) Construction of a new facility or a project at an existing major facility located in an attainment or unclassifiable area does not impact a nonattainment area for the applicable pollutant in excess of the significance level specified in § 127.203a.
Authority The provisions of this § 127.203 amended under section 5(a)(1) and (8) of the Air Pollution Control Act (35 P.S. § 4005(a)(1) and (8)).
Source The provisions of this § 127.203 amended May 18, 2007, effective May 19, 2007, 37 Pa.B. 2385; amended September 2, 2011, effective September 3, 2011, 41 Pa.B. 4761; amended December 20, 2019, effective December 21, 2019, 49 Pa.B. 7404. Immediately preceding text appears at serial pages (358255) to (358258).
Cross References This section cited in 25 Pa. Code § 121.1 (relating to definitions); 25 Pa. Code § 127.204 (relating to emissions subject to this subchapter); 25 Pa. Code § 127.205 (relating to special permit requirements); 25 Pa. Code § 127.211 (relating to applicability determination); 25 Pa. Code § 127.212 (relating to portable facilities); 25 Pa. Code § 127.213 (relating to construction and demolition); and 25 Pa. Code § 127.218 (relating to PALs).
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