Section 320. Definitions

A. For the purpose of applying this article in the context of the Regulations for the Control and Abatement of Air Pollution and related uses, the words or terms shall have the meanings given them in subsection C of this section.

B. As used in this article, all words and terms not defined in subsection C of this section shall have the meanings given them in 9VAC5-80-5 or 9VAC5-10 (General Definitions), unless otherwise required by context.

C. Terms defined.

"Actual emissions" means the actual rate of emissions in tons per year of any regulated air pollutant emitted from a source subject to this article over the preceding calendar year. Actual emissions may be calculated according to any method acceptable to the department provided such calculation takes into account the source's actual operating hours, production rates, in-place control equipment, and types of materials processed, stored, or combusted during the preceding calendar year. Any regulated pollutant which could be classed in more than one category shall be classed in only one category.

"Affected source" means a source that includes one or more affected units.

"Affected unit" means a unit that is subject to any federal acid rain emissions reduction requirement or acid rain emissions limitation under 40 CFR Parts 72, 73, 75, 77 or 78.

"Area source" means any stationary source that is not a major source. For purposes of this section, the phrase "area source" shall not include motor vehicles or nonroad vehicles.

"Hazardous air pollutant" means any air pollutant listed in § 112(b) of the federal Clean Air Act, as amended by 40 CFR 63.60.

"Major source" means:

a. For hazardous air pollutants other than radionuclides, any stationary source that emits or has the potential to emit, in the aggregate, 10 tons per year or more of any hazardous air pollutant or 25 tons per year or more of any combination of hazardous air pollutants. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, emissions from any oil or gas exploration or production well (with its associated equipment) and emissions from any pipeline compressor or pump station shall not be aggregated with emissions from other similar units, whether or not such units are in a contiguous area or under common control, to determine whether such units or stations are major sources.

b. For air pollutants other than hazardous air pollutants, any stationary source that directly emits or has the potential to emit 100 tons per year or more of any air pollutant (including any major source of fugitive emissions of any such pollutant). The fugitive emissions of a stationary source shall not be considered in determining whether it is a major stationary source, unless the source belongs to one of the following categories of stationary source:

(1) Coal cleaning plants (with thermal dryers);

(2) Kraft pulp mills;

(3) Portland cement plants;

(4) Primary zinc smelters;

(5) Iron and steel mills;

(6) Primary aluminum ore reduction plants;

(7) Primary copper smelters;

(8) Municipal incinerators capable of charging more than 250 tons of refuse per day;

(9) Hydrofluoric, sulfuric, or nitric acid plants;

(10) Petroleum refineries;

(11) Lime plants;

(12) Phosphate rock processing plants;

(13) Coke oven batteries;

(14) Sulfur recovery plants;

(15) Carbon black plants (furnace process);

(16) Primary lead smelters;

(17) Fuel conversion plant;

(18) Sintering plants;

(19) Secondary metal production plants;

(20) Chemical process plants;

(21) Fossil-fuel boilers (or combination thereof) totaling more than 250 million British thermal units per hour heat input;

(22) Petroleum storage and transfer units with a total storage capacity exceeding 300,000 barrels;

(23) Taconite ore processing plants;

(24) Glass fiber processing plants;

(25) Charcoal production plants;

(26) Fossil-fuel-fired steam electric plants of more than 250 million British thermal units per hour heat input; or

(27) Any other stationary source category regulated under § 111 or 112 of the federal Clean Air Act for which the administrator has made an affirmative decision under § 302(j) of the federal Clean Air Act.

c. For ozone nonattainment areas, any stationary source with the potential to emit 100 tons per year or more of volatile organic compounds or nitrogen oxides in areas classified as "marginal" or "moderate," 50 tons per year or more in areas classified as "serious," 25 tons per year or more in areas classified as "severe," and 10 tons per year or more in areas classified as "extreme"; except that the references in this definition to 100, 50, 25, and 10 tons per year of nitrogen oxides shall not apply with respect to any source for which the administrator has made a finding that requirements under § 182(f) of the federal Clean Air Act (NO_x requirements for ozone nonattainment areas) do not apply.

d. For attainment areas in ozone transport regions, any stationary source with the potential to emit 50 tons per year or more of volatile organic compounds.

"Permit program costs" means all reasonable (direct and indirect) costs required to develop, administer, and enforce the permit program; and to develop and administer the Small Business Technical and Environmental Compliance Assistance Program established pursuant to the provisions of § 10.1-1323 of the Code of Virginia.

"Potential to emit" means the maximum capacity of a stationary source to emit any air pollutant under its physical and operational design. Any physical or operational limitation on the capacity of a source to emit an air pollutant, including air pollution control equipment and restrictions on hours of operation or on the type or amount of material combusted, stored, or processed, shall be treated as part of its design if the limitation is state and federally enforceable.

"Regulated air pollutant" means any of the following:

a. Nitrogen oxides or any volatile organic compound.

b. Any pollutant for which an ambient air quality standard has been promulgated except carbon monoxide.

c. Any pollutant subject to any standard promulgated under § 111 of the federal Clean Air Act.

d. Any pollutant subject to a standard promulgated under § 112 (hazardous air pollutants) or other requirements established under § 112 of the federal Clean Air Act, particularly §§ 112(b), 112(d), 112(g)(2), 112(j), and 112(r); except that any pollutant that is a regulated pollutant solely because it is subject to a standard or regulation under § 112(r) of the federal Clean Air Act shall be exempt from this article.

"Research and development facility" means all the following as applied to any stationary source:

a. The primary purpose of the source is the conduct of either (i) research and development into new products or processes or into new uses for existing products or processes or (ii) basic research to provide for education or the general advancement of technology or knowledge;

b. The source is operated under the close supervision of technically trained personnel; and

c. The source is not engaged in the manufacture of products in any manner inconsistent with clause a (i) or (ii) of this definition.

An analytical laboratory that primarily supports a research and development facility is considered to be part of that facility.

"Stationary source" means any building, structure, facility or installation which emits or may emit any regulated air pollutant. A stationary source shall include all of the pollutant-emitting activities which belong to the same industrial grouping, are located on one or more contiguous or adjacent properties, and are under the control of the same persons (or persons under common control). Pollutant-emitting activities shall be considered as part of the same industrial grouping if they belong to the same "major group" (i.e., if they have the same two-digit code) as described in the Standard Industrial Classification Manual (see 9VAC5-20-21). Any research and development facility shall be considered a separate stationary source from the manufacturing or other facility with which it is co-located.

Historical Notes

Derived from VR120-08-0602, eff. April 1, 1995; amended, Volume 12, Issue 25, eff. October 15, 1996; Volume 17, Issue 20, eff. July 18, 2001; Volume 28, Issue 22, eff. July 1, 2012.

Statutory Authority

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