Title 40

SECTION 69.11

69.11 New exemptions.

§ 69.11 New exemptions.

(a) Pursuant to section 325(a) of the Clean Air Act (“CAA”) and a petition submitted by the Governor of Guam (“Petition”), the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) conditionally exempts electric generating units on Guam from certain CAA requirements.

(1) A waiver of the requirement to obtain a prevention of significant deterioration (“PSD”) permit prior to construction is granted for the electric generating units identified in the Petition as Cabras Diesel No. 1, the Tenjo project, and three 6-megawatt diesel generators to be constructed at Orote, with the following conditions:

(i) Each electric generating unit shall not be operated until a final PSD permit is issued for that unit;

(ii) Each electric generating unit shall not be operated until that unit complies with all requirements of its PSD permit, including, if necessary, retrofitting with the best available control technology (“BACT”);

(iii) The PSD application for each electric generating unit shall be deemed complete without the submittal of the required one year of on-site meteorological data, however, EPA will not issue a PSD permit to such a unit prior to submission of such data or data which the EPA finds to be an equivalent and acceptable substitute; and

(iv) If any electric generating unit covered by this paragraph is operated either prior to the issuance of a final PSD permit or without BACT equipment, that electric generating unit shall be deemed in violation of this waiver and the CAA beginning on the date of commencement of construction of that unit.

(2) A waiver of the three nonattainment area requirements (a construction ban, the use of lowest achievable emission rate control equipment, and emission offset requirements) currently applicable to the Cabras-Piti area is granted for electric generating units with the following conditions:

(i) A tower and meteorological station shall be constructed in the Cabras-Piti area by May 1, 1993;

(ii) Meteorological data shall be collected from the Cabras-Piti station which is sufficient to run air quality models both to demonstrate no current exceedences of the primary national ambient air quality standard for sulfur dioxide (“sulfur dioxide NAAQS”), as set forth at 40 CFR 50.4, and sufficient to submit a complete request for redesignation of the area to attainment;

(iii) Ambient sulfur dioxide monitors shall be installed and operated in accordance with the procedures set forth at 40 CFR part 58, the PSD air monitoring requirements, and any additional monitoring requested by EPA to verify the efficacy of the intermittent control strategy (“ICS”) of fuel switching;

(iv) Within three years from the effective date of this waiver, the Governor of Guam shall submit to the EPA a complete request that the Cabras-Piti area be redesignated to attainment for the sulfur dioxide NAAQS;

(v) Electric generating units to be constructed in the Cabras-Piti area must submit applications for PSD permits as though the area had been redesignated to attainment for the sulfur dioxide NAAQS;

(vi) The Cabras-Piti area electric generating units shall comply with the fuel switching ICS described in paragraph (a)(3)(i) of this section;

(vii) If the collected data and air quality analysis does not demonstrate to the EPA's satisfaction that there are no current or likely future exceedences of the sulfur dioxide NAAQS, the EPA will so notify the Governor of Guam;

(viii) Within six months of such notification, the Governor of Guam shall submit to the EPA an implementation plan which includes a schedule of emission reductions and/or control measures that will ensure achievement of the sulfur dioxide NAAQS within one year of submission of the implementation plan; and

(ix) If the Governor of Guam fails to submit an implementation plan in a timely fashion, or if EPA disapproves that implementation plan, all electric generating units subject to the fuel switching ICS described in paragraph (a)(3)(i) of this section shall be fueled exclusively with low sulfur fuel.

(3) A waiver of the prohibition on the use of the ICS of fuel switching is granted for electric generating units with the following conditions:

(i) The protocol to be followed for the ICS of fuel switching for electric generating units shall be the one set forth in a separate EPA document entitled Cabras-Piti Area Intermittent Control Strategy; and

(ii) This protocol may be modified by the EPA to protect against exceedences of the sulfur dioxide NAAQS and to accommodate additional electric generating units.

(b) The waiver will be periodically reviewed (at intervals no longer than three years) and, as deemed appropriate by the Administrator, can be modified or terminated at any time through rulemaking procedures.

(c) Pursuant to Section 325(a) of the CAA and a petition submitted by the Governor of Guam on July 14, 1995 (“1995 Petition”), the Administrator of EPA conditionally exempts Guam Power Authority (“GPA”) from certain CAA requirements.

(1) A waiver of the requirement to obtain a PSD permit prior to construction is granted for the electric generating unit identified in the 1995 Petition as Cabras Unit No. 4, with the following conditions:

(i) Cabras Unit No. 4 shall not operate until a final PSD permit is received by GPA for this unit;

(ii) Cabras Unit No. 4 shall not operate until it complies with all requirements of its PSD permit, including, if necessary, retrofitting with BACT;

(iii) If Cabras Unit No. 4 operates either prior to the issuance of a final PSD permit or without BACT equipment, Cabras Unit No. 4 shall be deemed in violation of this waiver and the CAA beginning on the date of commencement of construction of the unit.

(2) A waiver of the requirement to obtain a PSD permit prior to the operation of the unit identified in the 1995 Petition as Cabras Unit No. 3 is granted subject to the following conditions:

(i) The protocol to be followed for the ICS of fuel switching for electric generating units shall be modified to require the use of fuel oil with a sulfur content of 2.00 percent or less during offshore wind conditions. This fuel shall be fired in Cabras Power Plant Units Nos. 1 through 3 and in Piti Power Plant Units Nos. 4 and 5.

(ii) Cabras Unit No. 3 shall operate in compliance with all applicable requirements in its permits to construct and to operate as issued by Guam Environmental Protection Agency.

(iii) The waiver provisions allowing Cabras Unit No. 3 to operate prior to issuance of a PSD permit shall expire on August 15, 1996, or upon the receipt by GPA of a PSD permit for Cabras Unit No. 3, whichever event occurs first.

(3) On or before October 15, 1995, GPA shall submit to EPA, Region IX, a report concerning the operation of Cabras Unit No. 3 and the construction of Cabras Unit No. 4. The report shall contain:

(i) A summary of GPA's conclusions from its wind tunnel study;

(ii) A description of the alternatives available to assure compliance with all air quality requirements, including PSD requirements, during the operation of Cabras Units Nos. 3 and 4;

(iii) A description of the alternative GPA chooses to assure compliance with all air quality requirements, including PSD requirements, during the operation of Cabras Units Nos. 3 and 4; and

(iv) A plan of implementation by GPA.

(d)(1) Pursuant to Section 325(a) of the CAA and a petition submitted by the Governor of Guam on February 11, 1997 (“1997 Petition”), the Administrator of EPA conditionally exempts Piti Power Plant Units No. 8 and No. 9 from certain CAA requirements.

(2) A waiver of the requirement to obtain a PSD permit prior to construction is granted for the electric generating units identified in the 1997 Petition as Piti Units No. 8 and No. 9 (two 45 megawatt baseload diesel electric generators and associated waste heat recovery boilers with a steam generator), with the following conditions:

(i) Piti Units No. 8 and No. 9 shall not operate until final PSD permits are received for these units;

(ii) Piti Units No. 8 and No. 9 shall not operate until they comply with all requirements of their PSD permits, including, if necessary, retrofitting with BACT;

(iii) If either Piti Units No. 8 or No. 9 operate either prior to the issuance of a final PSD permit or without BACT equipment, the Piti Unit(s) shall be deemed in violation of this waiver and the CAA beginning on the date of commencement of construction of the unit(s).

[58 FR 43043, Aug. 12, 1993, as amended at 60 FR 48038, Sept. 18, 1995; 62 FR 44416, Aug. 21, 1997]