Section 181. Conformity evaluation for federal installations with facility-wide emission budgets

A. The department may, in cooperation with federal agencies or third parties authorized by the agency that operate installations subject to federal oversight, develop and adopt a facility-wide emission budget to be used for demonstrating conformity under 9VAC5-160-160 A 1. The facility-wide budget shall meet the following criteria:

1. Be for a set time period;

2. Cover the pollutants or precursors of the pollutants for which the area is designated nonattainment or maintenance;

3. Include specific quantities allowed to be emitted on an annual or seasonal basis;

4. The emissions from the facility along with all other emissions in the area will not exceed the emission budget for the area;

5. Include specific measures to ensure compliance with the budget, such as periodic reporting requirements or compliance demonstration, when the federal agency is taking an action that would otherwise require a conformity determination;

6. Be submitted to EPA as a revision to the applicable implementation plan; and

7. The revision to the applicable implementation plan shall be approved by EPA.

B. The facility-wide budget developed and adopted in accordance with subsection A of this section may be revised by following the requirements in subsection A of this section.

C. Total direct and indirect emissions from federal actions in conjunction with all other emissions subject to general conformity from the facility that do not exceed the facility budget adopted pursuant to subsection A of this section are presumed to conform to the applicable implementation plan and do not require a conformity analysis.

D. If the total direct and indirect emissions from the federal actions in conjunction with the other emissions subject to general conformity from the facility exceed the budget adopted pursuant to subsection A of this section, the action shall be evaluated for conformity. A federal agency may use the compliance with the facility-wide emissions budget as part of the demonstration of conformity, i.e., the agency would have to mitigate or offset the emissions that exceed the emission budget.

E. If the applicable implementation plan for the area includes a category for construction emissions, the negotiated budget may exempt construction emissions from further conformity analysis.

Historical Notes

Derived from Volume 27, Issue 11, eff. March 2, 2011.

Statutory Authority

§ 10.1-1308 of the Code of Virginia.