Air Matters, October 2007

Volume 2, Issue 5

Bureau of Air Management
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
PO Box 7921
Madison WI 53707

• Online Air Permit Management System -- Making Progress
• New Air Permit Exemptions Available for Facilities With Low Actual Emissions
• Protecting the Atmosphere from Harmful Refrigerants
• Magazine Supplement Examines Past and Current Challenges

Online Air Permit Management System -- Making Progress
By Barbara Pavliscak

The DNR Air Management Program realized some time ago that big and small industrial sources across the State of Wisconsin need to ascertain what permit requirements apply to them, and how they can best satisfy those requirements. They need to be able to find relevant information -- prepare permit applications -- quickly, efficiently, and online…and then submit them electronically. In response to this need, the Program began an ambitious two-year project to develop a new online Air Permit Management System designed to allow industrial sources to quickly and efficiently find information and apply for permits on-line.

The new system, about half-way complete, is being developed from three perspectives:

• Integrate existing data from permits, emissions, and compliance into one database.
• Allow businesses to apply for permits on-line.
• Provide for DNR staff to electronically review permit applications.

Developing this new system to work off of a database made from the integration of permits, emissions and compliance data will be a big step forward. Imagine having your air permit application pre-filled with information you gave us last year in your annual emissions report! Less time, fewer errors, less paper…less waste! Merging our existing databases is intricate and painstaking work, but is proceeding thoroughly and on schedule.

In the development of the on-line application portion of the Air Permit System, it is critical that the system be user-friendly, so the air program established and worked with an Air Permit Stakeholder IT Interest Group to help us get as much feedback as possible. Having the future users of the system reviewing and testing the new system is one of the most effective ways to ensure that the system will work for all businesses.

For the internal review portion of the new System, the purpose will be to allow complete and efficient processing and tracking of all permit activities throughout the life cycle of a permit, and to allow complete integration with the other complimentary DNR systems including emissions and compliance. This integration will minimize redundant capture of data, and will enhance the quality of information gathered and shared by the different air management programs and activities. The new System will also provide many time-saving features. As a result, permit writers will be able to review and act on permit applications more quickly and consistently than ever before.

Complete system-wide testing is expected during the spring of 2008. Once the new system is complete, the DNR’s Air Program will be able to conduct our business with greater efficiency, which will help your business, the citizens of Wisconsin, and everyone’s air quality, all at the same time.

For more information on the new Air Permit Management System, please contact Barb Pavliscak at 608-267-7540 or Barbara.Pavliscak@Wisconsin.gov.

Pavliscak is a permit engineer with the South Central Region and is located in Dodgeville.

New Air Permit Exemptions Available for Facilities With Low Actual Emissions
By Sarah Murray

The DNR has new air permit exemptions for facility operations and construction projects with low actual emissions. The exemptions, available now, are part of a large-scale, multi-year effort to improve the way the Air Management Program issues permits.

The Exemption from a Construction Permit is available to all facilities that have a facility-wide operation permit or have submitted a timely and complete application for one. To be eligible for an exemption, emissions from the entire construction project must not exceed 1,666 pounds per month (averaged over any 12-month period) each of particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxides and volatile organic compounds. Lead emissions for the project may not exceed 10 pounds per month.

Facilities with a general or registration permit do not need this exemption, as small construction projects are usually already covered by those permits.

For facilities with low actual emissions from their overall operations, the Exemption from an Operation Permit may be an option. To be eligible, a facility cannot emit more than 10 tons per year each of particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds. In addition, it cannot emit more than 0.5 tons per year of lead and it must meet certain thresholds for hazardous air contaminants. If a facility qualifies for this operation permit exemption, it is also exempt from construction permit requirements.

Permit exemption goals

The goal of these new exemptions is to allow facilities that are small sources of air pollution, and small construction projects at larger facilities, to have a simple, streamlined regulatory process. This allows businesses to spend less time on paperwork and make facility improvements faster. It also allows DNR staff to focus more of their time on working with larger pollution sources and facilities that are having trouble complying with air regulations.

For more information on the requirements for these permit exemptions and to learn how to apply, visit the permit exemptions page, where you can download fact sheets and other materials.

Murray is a senior communications specialist located in Madison.

Protecting the Atmosphere from Harmful Refrigerants
By Lance Green

Wisconsin enacted laws in 1990 to prohibit the release to the environment of a group of chemicals used as refrigerants that destroy the earth's protective ozone layer. Since that time, other refrigerants that contribute to global warming have been added to these regulations. As refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment is being serviced or disposed, these substances must be properly recycled using approved equipment operated by qualified technicians.

The 1990 laws created three regulatory programs that are implemented by three separate state agencies:

• The Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection regulates the servicing of vehicle air-conditioners and refrigerated transport.
• The Department of Commerce regulates the installation and maintenance of "stationary" refrigeration and AC equipment.
• The Department of Natural Resources regulates the transport or salvage of any type of refrigeration or air-conditioning equipment that contains regulated refrigerants which has been permanently removed from service and is intended for disposal or salvage.

DNR requirements found in ch. NR 488, Wis. Adm. Code, "Refrigerant Recovery from Salvaged and Dismantled Refrigeration Equipment," became effective May 1, 1993.

DNR requirements

Examples of the refrigerants regulated under NR 488 include ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons such as R-11, R-12, and R-113, and hydrochlorofluorocarbons such as R-22, as well as global-warming hydrofluorocarbons like the HFC-134A in car air-conditioners. NR 488 forbids the release of these substances to the environment when salvaging or dismantling whole units of any type of refrigeration or air-conditioning equipment. Businesses recovering these refrigerants must register with the DNR and keep records of their recovery activities. They must also supply documentation to whoever receives the scrapped equipment that the refrigerants were properly removed. Anyone hauling refrigerated appliances that are to be salvaged and may still contain refrigerants must annually certify "safe transport" to the Department.

Currently, over 600 businesses and government units are registered to recover refrigerants from salvaged vehicles, appliances, and residential and commercial refrigeration and cooling equipment. About 125 companies and government entities certify "safe transport" of refrigerated appliances headed for recycling.

Compliance and technical assistance

The DNR is often called on to address potentially illegal activities, and responds by investigating complaints, contacting non-registered facilities, issuing notices to non-complaint facilities and even handing out citations, especially when refrigerants have been intentionally or negligently released.

A new state law went into effect in November 2006 requiring those who salvage vehicles to demonstrate compliance with DNR refrigerant and stormwater regulations. Under Act 339, anyone applying to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation for a new or renewed Salvage Dealer license must supply a document showing they are registered with the DNR to recover the refrigerants themselves or are using another business which is registered with the DNR to recover the refrigerants from their vehicles. Over 125 new and existing salvage businesses have been brought into compliance under this program.

The DNR has informed Heating & Air Conditioning (HVAC) businesses of the DNR regulations, using mailings, articles in industry trade newsletters, flyers handed out at conferences and information on the Department of Commerce regulatory web pages [exit DNR]. More than 80 HVAC companies have become newly registered as a result, in addition to over 250 companies that were already registered with the DNR.

For more information please see the DNR’s refrigerant recovery web pages.You can also contact Lance Green at 608-264-6049 or Lance.Green@Wisconsin.gov

Lance Green is the Air Management Program’s Refrigerant Program Coordinator and is located in Madison.

Magazine Supplement Examines Past and Current Challenges
By Elisabeth Olson

Creating the right atmosphere: Approaches that staved off acid rain set the stage to tackle today's air challenges. Over 20 years ago, the Wisconsin Legislature enacted one of the first and strongest acid rain laws in the nation. This 16-page supplement celebrates the success of Wisconsin's acid rain efforts, examines the lessons learned from the experience, and applies these lessons to the air quality challenges such as climate change and mercury that face Wisconsin today.

To view this supplement online, visit http://www.wnrmag.com/supps/2007/aug07/intro.htm. To order hard copies in any quantity, contact Elisabeth Olson at 608-264-9258 or elisabeth.olson@wisconsin.gov.

Olson is an air quality educator in the DNR Bureau of Education and Information, located in Madison.

 

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