REC's Mission - AIR QUALITY PERMITTING
Provide air quality permitting and dispersion modeling solutions that support long-term sustainability and competitiveness of business and industry in Idaho. Cheryl A. Robinson is a licensed professional engineer (P.E.) in Idaho and California, and has over 40 years' experience in industry and environmental & safety regulatory consulting. Air Quality Permitting, Modeling, and Regulatory Compliance. From 2005 through 2014, Cheryl served as an air quality permit engineer and dispersion modeling analyst for the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality. She established REC in 2015, partnering with clients to solve their air quality permitting challenges. |
Robinson Environmental Consulting, LLC 3979 N Oak Park Place, Boise, Idaho 83703-3924 www.robinsonenvironmental.us [email protected] Cell: (208) 473-0183 REC is a woman-owned small business enterprise (WOSBE) and disadvantaged business enterprise (DBE). Core Service Areas: Clean Air Act Compliance
No-Cost Assistance for Air Quality Issues for Small Businesses in Idaho: Small Business Development Center (SBDC) [email protected] https://idahosbdc.org/specialized-services/environment/air/ |
Do you need an air quality permit for your project, or is it perhaps exempt from permitting requirements? Contact REC today for help in making this determination!
April 30, 2024 EPA issues new Significant Impact Level (SIL) of 0.13 ug/m3 for the new annual PM2.5 NAAQS. This will be effective in Idaho in the spring of 2025 when the legislature adjourns sine die. See https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2024-04/supplement-to-the-guidance-on-significant-impact-levels-for-ozone-and-fine-particles-in-the-psd-permitting-program-4-30-2024.pdf
April 3, 2024 EPA Proposes to replace the current secondary SO2 NAAQS (500 ppb--1,300 ug/m3--on a 3-hour average) with a new Annual secondary standard between 10-15 ppb (26-39 ug/m3), with no changes to the secondary NO2 or PM NAAQS.
February 7, 2024 EPA finalizes the annual PM2.5 NAAQS at 9.0 ug/m3. This NAAQS will be effective in federal rules on May 6, 2024, but won't become effective in Idaho until the legislature adjourns sine die in the spring of 2025.
October 23, 2023 Still waiting for EPA decision on the PM2.5 NAAQS, but EPA issued proposed changes to dispersion modeling guidance (Appendix W) and its near-field model (AERMOD, AERMET) today .
January 6, 2023 EPA announces a proposal to reduce the annual PM2.5 NAAQS from 12 ug/m3 to as low as 9 ug/m3. They proposed retaining the current 24-hr PM2.5 NAAQS of 35 ug/m3 but will take comment on reducing this to as low as 25 ug/m3.
A majority of the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) recommended lowering the 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS from 35 to 25-30 ug/m3 and revising the form of the standard to a rolling 24-hour average and something other than the 98th percentile of the three-year average, and lowering the annual PM2.5 NAAQS from 12 to 10.0-11.0 ug/m3 with no change to the form of the standard. This will pose particular concerns for facilities with "wet" stack emissions (stack emissions with high moisture content).
October 2021 EPA will reconsider 2020 decision not to change the PM10 and PM2.5 NAAQS. Information available to the 2020 decision suggested that the annual PM2.5 standard of 12 ug/m3 should be lowered to protect public health.
September 20, 2021 EPA issues revised guidance for public comment for modeling ozone and secondary formation of PM2.5. It's a complete replacement of the draft guidance and recommendations issued on Feb 10, 2021. This could affect your project if the new source or modification will emit 40 T/yr or more of NOx or VOC (precursors to ozone), or for PM2.5, 40 T/yr or more of NOx, SO2, or 10 T/yr or more of direct PM2.5 emissions. Contact REC for details.
July 1 2021 Idaho DEQ issued a revised Section 3 to the Air Quality Modeling Guideline for public comment. Because this is guidance rather than regulation, they're already implementing the changes to the guidance. Contact REC for more information!
January 2021 Concerned about the coronavirus disease COVID-19 impacting your Idaho project? Not to worry. REC can easily arrange conference calls to "meet" with Idaho DEQ air quality permitting staff to discuss your project needs!
February 10, 2020 New draft guidance was issued for modeling ozone and secondary formation of PM2.5. This may affect analyses for your facility if your project increases emissions of SO2 or NOx in excess of 4 tons per year (10% of the significant emissions rate).
July 26, 2019 EPA moves to codify reversal of "once in, always in" for major sources of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), following up on guidance issued in January 2018. With the issuance of the guidance, sources of HAPs previously classified as "major sources" could be reclassified as "area" sources when the facility limits its potential to emit below major source thresholds.
(10 tons/yr of any HAP, 25 tons/yr total HAPs).
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