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and revises requirements for once-through cooling systems to allow monitoring at an aggregated location provided that the combined cooling water flow rate at the monitoring location does not exceed 40,000 gallons per minute . For more information , contact Ed Fiesinger at 281.668.7353 or efiesinger @ zephyrenv . com .
state news
Texas to Take Over Permitting of Greenhouse Gases On June 14 , Governor Perry signed HB 788 providing the TCEQ with authority to issue GHG air quality permits . With this law , effective immediately upon signature by the Governor , the TCEQ must adopt rules regarding the issuance of permits and the procedures for transition of applications pending with the EPA . The bill also specifies that GHG permits issued by TCEQ will not be subject to requirements relating to contested case hearings . While the TCEQ rulemaking process will take time and require EPA approval , the regulated community has expressed hope that the Texas GHG permitting program will be in place by early 2014 . For more information , contact Thomas Sullivan at 512.879.6632 or tsullivan @ zephyrenv . com .
TCEQ Expands List of Diesel Engines Exempt from DFW Nitrogen Oxide Rules On May 2 , the TCEQ amended its Part 117 NOx rules to expand the list of engines in the Dallas-Fort Worth ozone nonattainment area that are exempt from these rules to include newer engines that are 1 ) used exclusively for product testing and personnel training , 2 ) used for less than 1,000 hours per year , and 3 ) meet the applicable emission requirements of 40 CFR 89 . The rules were also clarified to confirm that the product testing covered by the new exemption was not subject to the time-of-day restrictions for engine reliability testing . For more information , contact Kevin Ellis at 512.879.6647 or kellis @ zephyrenv . com .
TCEQ Adopts Severe Ozone Nonattainment Area Penalty Fee Rule On May 22 , the TCEQ adopted rule changes , effective June 13 , that implement a penalty fee ( commonly known as the Section 185 fee ) for failure to attain the ozone standard in a severe nonattainment area by the 2007 statutory deadline . This rule requires major sources of VOC and NOx emissions in severe ozone nonattainment areas to pay a fee for emissions that exceed 80 percent of the baseline emissions for reporting year 2007 , and the fees will be assessed on calendar year 2012 emissions . Affected facilities have 120 days from the effective date of the rule changes to submit their baseline inventories to the TCEQ . Adjusted for inflation since 1990 , the fee is expected to be in excess of $ 8,000 per ton . The adopted rule allows for the TCEQ to take into account emission reductions resulting from various mobile source programs that will , if approved , reduce the amount affected facilities will have to pay . The only sources affected by these rule changes are those in the Houston-Galveston-Brazoria area . For more information , contact Ed Fiesinger at 281.668.7353 or efiesinger @ zephyrenv . com .
TCEQ Invites Comments on Acetone , Acrylonitrile , and Methanol Effects Screening Levels In May , the TCEQ proposed to lower the short-term effects screening levels ( ESLs ) — screening concentrations used by the TCEQ primarily to evaluate air quality impacts of air toxics in the air permitting context — for acetone and methanol and the long-term ESL for acrylonitrile , while increasing the short-term acrylonitrile and long-term acetone and methanol ESLs . The decrease in the proposed long-term acrylonitrile ESL will trigger the need to conduct long-term impact evaluations in air permit application reviews involving this chemical because the proposed annual ESL is less than 10 percent of the short-term ESL . TCEQ is accepting public comments on the proposed ESL changes until August 16 , 2013 . For more information , contact Lucy Fraiser at 512.879.6652 or lfraiser @ zephyrenv . com . Z
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