Thursday, January 20, 2011

GHG Permit Requirements For Biomass Fuel Units

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a plan to defer for three years green house gas (GHG) permitting requirements for carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from biomass-fired and other biogenic sources. EPA intends to use this time to seek further independent scientific analysis and then to develop a rulemaking on how these emissions should be treated in determining whether a Clean Air Act permit is required.

By July 2011, EPA plans to complete a rulemaking that will defer permitting requirements for CO2 emissions from biomass-fired and other biogenic sources for three years. During the three-year period, the agency will seek input on scientific issues. EPA will also further consider the comments it received from its July 2010 Call for Information, including comments noting that burning certain types of biomass may emit the same amount of CO2 emissions that would be emitted if they were not burned as fuel, while others may result in a net increase in CO2 emissions. Before the end of the three-year period, the agency intends to issue a second rulemaking that determines how these emissions should be treated or counted under GHG permitting requirements.

The agency also plans to issue guidance that will provide a basis that state or local permitting authorities may use to conclude that the use of biomass as fuel is the best available control technology for GHG emissions until the agency can complete an action on the three-year deferral in July.

Caltha LLP provides expert environmental consultant services in Texas to obtain environmental permits, evaluate regulatory requirements, and to prepare compliance programs, including SWPPP Plans, SPCC Plans prepared to meet TCEQ requirements.

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