Section 1460. Public participation

A. No later than 15 days after receiving the initial determination notification required under 9VAC5-80-1450 A, the applicant for a permit for a major source of hazardous air pollutants shall notify the public of the proposed source as required in subsection B of this section. The applicant shall also provide an informational briefing about the proposed source for the public as required in subsection C of this section.

B. The public notice required under this section shall be placed by the applicant in at least one newspaper of general circulation in the affected air quality control region. The notice shall be approved by the board and shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

1. The source name, location, and type;

2. The applicable pollutants and the total quantity of each which the applicant estimates will be emitted, and a brief statement of the air quality impact of such pollutants;

3. The control technology proposed to be used at the time of the publication of the notice;

4. The date, time and place of the informational briefing; and

5. The name and telephone number of a contact person employed by the applicant who can answer questions about the proposed source.

C. The informational briefing shall be held in the locality where the source is or will be located and at least 30 days, but no later than 60 days, following the day of the publication of the public notice in the newspaper. The applicant shall inform the public about the operation and potential air quality impact of the source and answer any questions concerning air quality about the proposed source from those in attendance at the briefing. At a minimum, the applicant shall provide information on and answer questions about (i) specific pollutants and the total quantity of each which the applicant estimates will be emitted and (ii) the control technology proposed to be used at the time of the informational briefing. Representatives from the board shall attend and provide information and answer questions on the permit application review process.

D. Upon a determination by the board that it will achieve the desired results in an equally effective manner, an applicant for a permit may implement an alternative plan for notifying the public as required in subsection B of this section and for providing the informational briefing as required in subsection C of this section.

E. Prior to the decision of the board, all permit applications shall be subject to a public comment period of at least 30 days. In addition, at the end of the public comment period, a public hearing will be held with notice in accordance with subsection F of this section.

F. The board shall notify the public by advertisement in at least one newspaper of general circulation in the area affected of the opportunity for the public comment and the public hearing on the information available for public inspection under the provisions of subdivision 1 of this subsection. The notification shall be published at least 30 days prior to the day of the public hearing. Written comments will be accepted by the board for at least 15 days after any hearing, unless the board votes to shorten the period.

1. Information on the permit application (exclusive of confidential information under 9VAC5-170-60), as well as the preliminary review and analysis and preliminary determination of the board, shall be available for public inspection during the entire public comment period in at least one location in the affected area.

2. A copy of the notice shall be sent to all local air pollution control agencies having jurisdiction in the affected air quality control region, all states sharing the affected air quality control region, and to the regional EPA administrator.

3. Notices of public hearings published under this section shall meet the requirements of § 10.1-1307.01 of the Virginia Air Pollution Control Law.

G. Following the initial publication of the notice required under subsection F of this section, the board will receive written requests for direct consideration of the application by the board pursuant to the requirements of 9VAC5-80-25. In order to be considered, the request must be submitted no later than the end of the public comment period. A request for direct consideration of an application by the board shall contain the following information:

1. The name, mailing address, and telephone number of the requester.

2. The names and addresses of all persons for whom the requester is acting as a representative (for the purposes of this requirement, an unincorporated association is a person).

3. The reason why direct consideration by the board is requested.

4. A brief, informal statement setting forth the factual nature and the extent of the interest of the requester or of the persons for whom the requester is acting as representative in the application or preliminary determination, including an explanation of how and to what extent such interest would be directly and adversely affected by the issuance, denial or revision of the permit in question.

5. Where possible, specific references to the terms and conditions of the permit in question, together with suggested revisions and alterations of those terms and conditions that the requester considers are needed to conform the permit to the intent and provisions of the Virginia Air Pollution Control Law.

H. The board will review any request made under subsection G of this section, and will take final action on the request as provided in 9VAC5-80-1450 D.

I. In order to facilitate the efficient issuance of permits under Articles 1 and 3 of this chapter, upon request of the applicant the board shall process the permit application under this article using public participation procedures meeting the requirements of this section and 9VAC5-80-270 or 9VAC5-80-670, as applicable.

J. If appropriate, the board may provide a public briefing on its review of the permit application prior to the public comment period but no later than the day before the beginning of the public comment period. If the board provides a public briefing, the requirements of subsection F of this section concerning public notification will be followed.

Historical Notes

Derived from Volume 16, Issue 07, eff. February 1, 2000; amended, Virginia Register Volume 25, Issue 06, eff. December 31, 2008.

Statutory Authority

§ 10.1-1308 of the Code of Virginia; Clean Air Act (§§ 110, 112, 165, 173, 182 and Title V); 40 CFR Parts 51, 61, 63, 70 and 72.