The Iowa DNR Air Quality Bureau (DNR) invites the public to provide informal comments on a draft rulemaking proposal.
Affected businesses and the public benefit from up-to-date air quality requirements and increased effectiveness. The proposed changes to air quality rules:
1) Reduce the cost of government, while providing streamlined services to the public and regulated community.
2) Update rules to provide regulatory certainty and flexibility. The proposed rules will implement a portion of the Department’s 5-year rules review, achieving a purpose similar to air quality rulemaking packages adopted earlier this year and in 2017.
3) Offer uniform rules by making changes that match federal regulations. By adopting federal updates into state administrative rules, the Commission is ensuring that Iowa’s air quality rules are no more stringent than federal regulations. Additionally, the updates allow the Department, rather than the EPA, to be the primary agency to implement the air quality requirements in Iowa, thereby allowing the Department to provide compliance assistance and outreach to affected facilities.
Summary of Draft Proposal
The proposed rule changes continue previous efforts to improve rules for air quality programs.
Electronic Emissions Reporting
To simplify the reporting requirements for industry, increase reporting efficiency and reduce cost to the state, the Department is proposing to require the use of electronic emissions reporting for all Title V facilities, beginning with reports due to the Department by March 31, 2019. The transition to entirely electronic reporting will make air emissions information more quickly available to industry seeking to build new facilities or expand existing facilities, and for the public. Additionally, electronic reporting will reduce the cost to the state because Department staff will no longer need to data-enter this information prior to providing it in the annual federally-required emissions report.
Address Updates
The proposed rule changes update several references for the new location and mailing address of the Department’s Air Quality Bureau.
Consistency with Federal Regulations
The rule revisions adopt technical corrections that EPA made to continuous methods for measuring air pollutant emissions. The rule changes also include adoption of revisions to federal air toxics standards (also known as National Emissions Standard for Hazardous Air Pollutants or NESHAP), new source performance standards (NSPS) and EPA’s Emission Guidelines. Adopting EPA’s amendments allows state rules to be consistent with federal regulations, and provides certainty to affected businesses and other interested stakeholders.
How to Provide Input
Written comments and suggestions on the draft proposal may be provided to Christine Paulson, Iowa DNR Air Quality Bureau, byTuesday, August 28, 2018, at Christine.Paulson@dnr.iowa.gov, or by mail or hand-delivery to: DNR Air Quality Bureau, 502 E. 9thStreet, Des Moines, Iowa 50319.
The draft rulemaking package is available on the DNR's air quality public participation website (https://www.iowadnr.gov/airpublicinput) under the Public Input section.
This informal comment period is an opportunity for stakeholders to assist the DNR in developing the rule proposal. After considering public input, the DNR will determine whether to proceed with the rule making and present a proposal to the Environmental Protection Commission (Commission). The public may also provide comments on the proposal at the Commission meeting. If the Commission approves the proposal for public comment, the Notice of Intended Action will be published in the Iowa Administrative Bulletin. The Notice’s publication will initiate a formal public comment period of at least 30 days. The DNR will hold a public hearing during the public comment period.