to be published
February 6, 2005

Notice of Public Hearing

Proposed Amendments to Rule 210 (Fees) to Revise Section 210.I.G, Air Toxics Program
and Schedule B-2, Fee for Air Toxic Program

Thursday, March 17, 2005, at approximately 2:00 p.m.
Board of Supervisors Hearing Room
511 East Lakeside Parkway
Santa Maria, California 93455

The Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District (APCD) will hold a public hearing at the time and location listed above to accept comments and consider adoption of revised Rule 210.

Sources Potentially Affected

Sources affected include the following source categories, which each emit greater than 2000 pounds of air toxics per year: mineral processing facilities; medical device manufacturers; military installations; aircraft painting facilities; plastic foam manufacturers; and oil and gas production, processing, and marketing facilities.

Discussion About the Proposed Amended Rule

Per APCD Rule 210.G, certain stationary sources with APCD permits (that are not located on the outer continental shelf) are required to pay an annual fee earmarked to administer the APCD’s Air Toxics Program. Currently, Rule 210 Schedule B-2 defines these sources as those that emit greater than 10 tons per year of a total sum of criteria pollutants consisting of reactive organic compounds, oxides of nitrogen, gaseous sulfur compounds, and particulate matter. Air toxic fees have historically been assessed on a dollars per ton of emitted criteria pollutant for each select stationary source over a graduated emission range. In response to a request by members of industry to base the fee on air toxics emissions rather than criteria emissions, the Air Pollution Control Officer made a commitment to the Air Pollution Control District Board of Directors at the fiscal year 2004/2005 budget hearing that the air toxics fee schedule in Rule 210 will be expressed in terms of air toxic contaminants, rather than criteria pollutants. In addition, the Control Officer stated his intent to structure this change to the air toxic fee schedule so that the total air toxic program income remains at its existing level.

The proposed change to Rule 210 Schedule B-2 involves replacing the existing table of graduated air toxic program fees and the associated criteria pollutant emission ranges with a single air toxic unit fee expressed in dollars per pound of air toxic contaminants. This change affects sources that are not located on the outer continental shelf that emit greater than 2000 pounds of air toxics per year.

The APCD has determined that the project (the revision) will not have any significant adverse impacts. The APCD finds that this rulemaking activity is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) under Section 15273. As required by CEQA Guidelines, staff prepared a Notice of Exemption for this project. Any subsequent changes to the project description during the public review period will undergo additional environmental review under the CEQA.

The proposed revised rule may be reviewed at the APCD’s web site, on this page,  or at the following locations:

APCD - Main Office
260 N. San Antonio Rd, Suite A
Santa Barbara, CA 93110
(805) 961-8800

APCD -Santa Maria Office
301 E. Cook Street,  Suite L
Santa Maria, CA 93454
(805) 961-8800 (Main Office)

4th District Supervisor’s Office
401 E. Cypress Avenue,  Suite 101
Lompoc, CA 93436
(805) 737-7700

Alternatively, copies may be obtained on a diskette, CD, or as hard copies by calling Lillian Coony at 805.961.8817.

The APCD requests that written comments be provided by March 8, 2005, to Ron Tan at the Santa Barbara address above, so they can be included in the Board package. If you have any questions, you can contact him at 805.961.8812 or TanR@sbcapcd.org. 

Published Sunday, February 6, 2005

Return to News & Notices