Effective on June 22, 2016, an amendment was added to The Operating Permit Program (6 NYCRR 482-2). This change in air pollutant regulations mandates that an updated annual fee must be paid by all facilities falling under Title V of the Federal Clean Air Act. Facilities required to adhere to Title V regulations are “major stationary sources of air pollutants.” A complete description can be found in 6 NYCRR Subpart 202-2.
If your facility falls into the affected categories, then you could be paying more than you bargained for. Fees will be placed on airborne pollutants including sulfur dioxide, VOCs, nitrogen oxides, and all particulates and hazardous air pollutants. These regulations will be applied based on the facility emissions of the previous year. It is important for all facility managers to complete their previous year’s emission statements in a timely matter to avoid paying additional costs based on their maximum potential to emit. This is the number one mistake that facilities can make with the Title V New York State air permit changes.
The current fee for 2016 includes a base payment of $2,500, plus additional fees depending on the amounts and types of pollutants emitted. The unit prices are as follows:
For example, if the operator of a facility has a maximum emissions output of 4,500 tons, it would carry a maximum emissions fee of ($2,500 + [4,500 tons * $80/ton]) = $362,500.
However, if the actual operating emissions for a given year for the same facility was only 3,000 tons, their emissions output fee would be ($2,500 + [3,000 tons *80/ton])= $242,500. In this situation, the facility operator would save over $100,000 by ensuring that their previous year’s emissions statement was submitted in a timely manner.
Please give Walden Environmental Engineering a call at (516) 624-7200 if you have any questions, or if you would like to know further how these changes may affect you or your company.