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TITLE 30ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
PART 1TEXAS COMMISSION ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
CHAPTER 115CONTROL OF AIR POLLUTION FROM VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
SUBCHAPTER JADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS
DIVISION 1ALTERNATE MEANS OF CONTROL
RULE §115.911Criteria for Approval of Alternate Means of Control Plans

An alternate means of control (AMOC) plan shall be approved if it meets each of the following criteria, as applicable.

  (1) All facilities covered by the AMOC plan are and remain in the same account number.

  (2) The AMOC plan must propose annual emission limits in tons per year for each source in the AMOC plan that, when collectively compared against actual annual emissions generated in 1990 (or subsequent years if a source in an AMOC was not operational prior to 1990), result in net emissions reductions equal to or greater than reductions that would be achieved if each source complied with all applicable requirements of this chapter.

  (3) If the AMOC plan involves any source with a proposed annual emission limit which exceeds the baseline as defined in §115.912(a) of this title (relating to Calculations for Determining Alternate Means of Control Reductions), the AMOC plan must provide additional reductions made at alternative sources which comply with the guidelines in §115.912 of this title and are at least equal to the amount the source exceeds its baseline, multiplied by the applicable factor provided in the following subparagraphs.

    (A) For sources located in the Beaumont-Port Arthur area, as defined in §115.10 of this title (relating to Definitions), the applicable factor is 1.2.

    (B) For sources located in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, as defined in §115.10 of this title, the applicable factor is 1.3.

    (C) For sources located in the El Paso area, as defined in §115.10 of this title, the applicable factor is 1.2.

    (D) For sources located in the Houston-Galveston-Brazoria area, as defined in §115.10 of this title, the applicable factor is 1.3.

    (E) For sources located in the Bexar County area, as defined in §115.10 of this title, the applicable factor is 1.15.

    (F) For sources located in other areas in Texas, the applicable factor is 1.1.

  (4) The AMOC application must demonstrate that the sum of the maximum daily potentials to emit from the sources subject to the proposed AMOC plan shall not be more than 200 pounds per day greater than the sum of the maximum daily potentials to emit from those sources if the emissions were controlled in accordance with this chapter. For each nonattainment area, the executive director shall establish a limit upon the sum of the increases of the maximum daily potentials to emit from all AMOC plans in the nonattainment area. The limit shall be set so that the sum of the maximum daily potentials to emit shall not increase the measurable or modeled ozone level by one part per billion.

  (5) The AMOC must be implemented and reductions created after January 1, 1991.

  (6) Reductions in actual emissions accounted for in the AMOC plan must be surplus and remain surplus to reductions required by this chapter and any netting or offsetting requirements of §§116.150, 116.151, 116.160, and 116.161 of this title (relating to New Major Source or Major Modification in Ozone Nonattainment Areas; New Major Source or Major Modification in Nonattainment Area Other Than Ozone; Prevention of Significant Deterioration Requirements; and Source Located in an Attainment Area with a Greater Than De Minimis Impact). Reductions for which the state has claimed credit in a State Implementation Plan may not be utilized as reductions in an AMOC plan.

  (7) Mobile sources and indirect sources (Federal Clean Air Act, §110(a)(5)(C)) shall not be included in the AMOC plan.

  (8) For purposes of demonstrating reductions and establishing emission limits in any AMOC plan, quantification of emissions must be accomplished using any of the following methods as specified by the executive director:

    (A) test methods approved by the executive director for the direct measurement of emissions, either continuously or periodically;

    (B) calculation equations which are a function of process or control system parameters, activity levels, and/or throughput or production rates;

    (C) mass-balance calculations which are a function of inventory, usage, and/or disposal records;

    (D) other appropriate methods acceptable to the executive director; or

    (E) any combination of these approaches.

  (9) The AMOC plan must establish emission limits and/or control requirements for all sources in the plan which render the proposed annual emission limits enforceable.

  (10) The AMOC plan must include all necessary and appropriate provisions for monitoring, testing, reporting, and recordkeeping as specified by the executive director. The frequency of AMOC required monitoring, testing, reporting, and recordkeeping shall be sufficient to reasonably ensure compliance with applicable emission limits and/or control requirements. The monitoring, testing, reporting, and recordkeeping shall be at least as reliable, readily retrievable, and retained for a comparable period of time as the underlying requirements of this chapter.

    (A) If this chapter includes monitoring, testing, reporting, and/or recordkeeping requirements for sources of the type(s) to be covered by an alternate emission limitation and/or control requirement, then such requirement may be used to render the AMOC plan enforceable. If this chapter does not include readily transferable monitoring, testing, reporting, and/or recordkeeping requirements for sources of the type(s) to be covered by an alternate emission limitation and/or control requirement, then priority may be given to any such set of requirements adopted under other commission rules for the control of volatile organic compounds (VOC) emissions from sources of the type(s) to be covered by an alternate emission limitation and/or control requirement.

    (B) If this chapter includes emission limits and/or control requirements for sources of the type(s) to be covered by an alternate emission limitation and/or control requirement, then such alternative emission limitation and/or control requirement may be based on the same averaging time as is applied to those same type sources under this chapter. If this chapter does not include emission limitations and/or control requirements for sources of the type(s) to be covered by an alternate emission limit and/or control requirement, then priority may be given to averaging times for emission limits and/or control requirements on similar units governed by other commission rules limiting VOC emissions from sources of the type(s) to be covered by an alternate emission limit and/or control requirement.

    (C) If no such commission monitoring, testing, reporting, and/or recordkeeping rules have been adopted that satisfy the criteria of subparagraphs (A) and (B) of this paragraph, then such requirements or averaging times shall be established on a case-by-case basis.

    (D) Additional or more frequent monitoring, testing, reporting, and/or recordkeeping may be required by the executive director to ensure the integrity of any AMOC plan.


Source Note: The provisions of this §115.911 adopted to be effective August 9, 1994, 19 TexReg 5719; amended to be effective May 16, 2002, 27 TexReg 4113; amended to be effective May 16, 2024, 49 TexReg 3292

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