August 6, 1999

Notice of Public Hearing

Proposed Rule 352
Natural Gas-Fired Fan-Type Central Furnaces and Residential Water Heaters

The Santa Barbara Air Pollution Control District (APCD) Board will hold a public hearing at the time and location listed above to accept comments and consider adoption of Rule 352, Natural Gas-Fired Fan-Type Central Furnaces and Residential Water Heaters.

Sources potentially affected: Manufacturers, vendors, and installers of natural gas-fired fan-type central furnaces or residential heaters that are to be sold or installed in Santa Barbara County.

Discussion: The adoption of Rule 352 complies with a 1998 Clean Air Plan commitment. Rule 352 will reduce emissions of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) by setting NOx limits on natural gas-fired fan-type central furnaces or residential heaters to be installed in Santa Barbara County. The rule will limit NOx to 40 nanograms per joule (0.093 pounds per million Btu) of heat output on:

Discussion: The adoption of Rule 352 complies with a 1998 Clean Air Plan commitment. Rule 352 will reduce emissions of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) by setting NOx limits on natural gas-fired fan-type central furnaces or residential heaters to be installed in Santa Barbara County. The rule will limit NOx to 40 nanograms per joule (0.093 pounds per million Btu) of heat output on:

--Water heaters that are less than 75,000 Btu per hour heat input.

--Fan-type central furnaces that are less than 175,000 Btu per hour heat input.

--Combination heating and cooling fan-type central furnaces that have a cooling capacity less than 65,000 Btu per hour.

Proposed Rule 352 is patterned after San Luis Obispo County APCD Rule 428, Ventura County APCD Rules 74.11 and 74.22, and South Coast Air Quality Management District Rules 1111 and 1121.

The Air Pollution Control District found that the potential environmental impacts of this rule were adequately analyzed in the 1991 Air Quality Attainment Plan Environmental Impact Report (1991 AQAP EIR) and the Final Mitigated Negative Declaration for the 1998 Clean Air Plan. Pursuant to Sections 15162 and 15168(c) of the State California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, staff prepared an addendum. The adoption of this rule is expected to have beneficial impacts on the environment. The adoption of Rule 352 is within the scope of the program EIR approved earlier. The program EIR adequately describes the adoption of Rule 352 for the purposes of CEQA.

A copy of the proposed rule is available on this website,

APCD (Lillian Coony)         County Clerk’s Office
26 Castilian Drive, B-23    401 E. Cypress, Ste.101
Goleta, CA 93117             Lompoc, CA 93436
(805) 961-8817                (805) 737-7705

Fifth District Supervisor’s Office
511 E. Lakeside Parkway, Suite 141
Santa Maria, CA 93455
(805) 346-8400

Please provide public written comments by August 13, 1999 to Doug Grapple at the Goleta address above. If you have any questions, you can contact him at (805) 961-8883 (phone), (805) 961-8801 (fax) or GrappleD@sbcapcd.org.

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