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TITLE 30ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
PART 1TEXAS COMMISSION ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
CHAPTER 116CONTROL OF AIR POLLUTION BY PERMITS FOR NEW CONSTRUCTION OR MODIFICATION
SUBCHAPTER ADEFINITIONS
RULE §116.12Nonattainment and Prevention of Significant Deterioration Review Definitions

  (8) Clean coal technology--Any technology, including technologies applied at the precombustion, combustion, or post-combustion stage, at a new or existing facility that will achieve significant reductions in air emissions of sulfur dioxide or oxides of nitrogen associated with the utilization of coal in the generation of electricity, or process steam that was not in widespread use as of November 15, 1990.

  (9) Clean coal technology demonstration project--A project using funds appropriated under the heading "Department of Energy-Clean Coal Technology," up to a total amount of $2.5 billion for commercial demonstration of clean coal technology, or similar projects funded through appropriations for the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The federal contribution for a qualifying project shall be at least 20% of the total cost of the demonstration project.

  (10) Commence--As applied to construction of a major stationary source or major modification, means that the owner or operator has all necessary preconstruction approvals or permits and either has:

    (A) begun, or caused to begin, a continuous program of actual on-site construction of the source, to be completed within a reasonable time; or

    (B) entered into binding agreements or contractual obligations, which cannot be canceled or modified without substantial loss to the owner or operator, to undertake a program of actual construction of the source to be completed within a reasonable time.

  (11) Construction--Any physical change or change in the method of operation (including fabrication, erection, installation, demolition, or modification of an emissions unit) that would result in a change in actual emissions.

  (12) Contemporaneous period--For major sources the period between:

    (A) the date that the increase from the particular change occurs; and

    (B) 60 months prior to the date that construction on the particular change commences.

  (13) De minimis threshold test (netting)--A method of determining if a proposed emission increase will trigger nonattainment or prevention of significant deterioration review. The summation of the proposed project emission increase in tons per year with all other creditable source emission increases and decreases during the contemporaneous period is compared to the significant level for that pollutant. If the significant level is exceeded, then prevention of significant deterioration and/or nonattainment review is required.

  (14) Electric utility steam generating unit--Any steam electric generating unit that is constructed for the purpose of supplying more than one-third of its potential electric output capacity and more than 25 megawatts electrical output to any utility power distribution system for sale. Any steam supplied to a steam distribution system for the purpose of providing steam to a steam-electric generator that would produce electrical energy for sale is included in determining the electrical energy output capacity of the affected facility.

  (15) Federally regulated new source review pollutant--As defined in subparagraphs (A) - (E) of this paragraph:

    (A) any pollutant for which a national ambient air quality standard has been promulgated and any constituents or precursors for such pollutants identified by the United States Environmental Protection Agency;

    (B) except for greenhouse gases, any pollutant that is subject to any standard promulgated under Federal Clean Air Act (FCAA), §111;

    (C) any Class I or II substance subject to a standard promulgated under or established by FCAA, Title VI;

    (D) any pollutant that otherwise is subject to regulation under the FCAA; except that any or all hazardous air pollutants either listed in FCAA, §112 or added to the list under FCAA, §112(b)(2), which have not been delisted under FCAA, §112(b)(3), are not regulated new source review pollutants unless the listed hazardous air pollutant is also regulated as a constituent or precursor of a general pollutant listed under FCAA, §108; or

    (E) greenhouse gases that meet or exceed the thresholds established in §116.164 of this title (relating to Prevention of Significant Deterioration Applicability for Greenhouse Gases Sources).

  (16) Greenhouse gases (GHGs)--as defined in §101.1 of this title (relating to Definitions).

  (17) Lowest achievable emission rate--For any emitting facility, that rate of emissions of a contaminant that does not exceed the amount allowable under applicable new source performance standards promulgated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency under 42 United States Code, §7411, and that reflects the following:

    (A) the most stringent emission limitation that is contained in the rules and regulations of any approved state implementation plan for a specific class or category of facility, unless the owner or operator of the proposed facility demonstrates that such limitations are not achievable; or

    (B) the most stringent emission limitation that is achieved in practice by a specific class or category of facilities, whichever is more stringent.

  (18) Major facility--Any facility that emits or has the potential to emit 100 tons per year or more of the plant-wide applicability limit (PAL) pollutant in an attainment area; or any facility that emits or has the potential to emit the PAL pollutant in an amount that is equal to or greater than the major source threshold for the PAL pollutant in Table I of this section for nonattainment areas.

  (19) Major stationary source--Any stationary source that emits, or has the potential to emit, a threshold quantity of emissions or more of any air contaminant (including volatile organic compounds (VOCs)) for which a national ambient air quality standard has been issued, or greenhouse gases. The major source thresholds are identified in Table I of this section for nonattainment pollutants and the major source thresholds for prevention of significant deterioration pollutants are identified in 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) §51.166(b)(1). For greenhouse gases, the major source thresholds are specified in §116.164 of this title (relating to Prevention of Significant Deterioration Applicability for Greenhouse Gases Sources). A source that emits, or has the potential to emit a federally regulated new source review pollutant at levels greater than those identified in 40 CFR §51.166(b)(1) is considered major for all prevention of significant deterioration pollutants. A major stationary source that is major for VOCs or nitrogen oxides is considered to be major for ozone. The fugitive emissions of a stationary source shall not be included in determining for any of the purposes of this definition whether it is a major stationary source, unless the source belongs to one of the categories of stationary sources listed in 40 CFR §51.165(a)(1)(iv)(C).

  (20) Major modification--As follows.

    (A) Any physical change in, or change in the method of operation of a major stationary source that causes a significant project emissions increase and a significant net emissions increase for any federally regulated new source review pollutant. At a stationary source that is not major prior to the increase, the increase by itself must equal or exceed that specified for a major source. At an existing major stationary source, the increase must equal or exceed that specified for a major modification to be significant. The major source and significant thresholds are provided in Table I of this section for nonattainment pollutants. The major source and significant thresholds for prevention of significant deterioration pollutants are identified in 40 Code of Federal Regulations §51.166(b)(1) and (23), respectively and in §116.164 of this title (relating to Prevention of Significant Deterioration Applicability for Greenhouse Gases Sources).

Attached Graphic

    (B) A physical change or change in the method of operation shall not include:

      (i) routine maintenance, repair, and replacement;

      (ii) use of an alternative fuel or raw material by reason of an order under the Energy Supply and Environmental Coordination Act of 1974, §2(a) and (b) (or any superseding legislation) or by reason of a natural gas curtailment plan under the Federal Power Act;

      (iii) use of an alternative fuel by reason of an order or rule of 42 United States Code, §7425;

      (iv) use of an alternative fuel at a steam generating unit to the extent that the fuel is generated from municipal solid waste;

      (v) use of an alternative fuel or raw material by a stationary source that the source was capable of accommodating before December 21, 1976 (unless such change would be prohibited under any federally enforceable permit condition established after December 21, 1976) or the source is approved to use under any permit issued under regulations approved under this chapter;

Cont'd...

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