PUC Annual Report–Fiscal Year 2011-12 - Public Utilities Commission

Public Utilities Commission Annual Report 2011-12
State of Hawaii Page 97
Federal Issues and Activities
EPA’s Mercury Air Toxics Standards (“MATS”)
On December 21, 2011, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”)
announced standards to limit mercury, acid gases and other toxic pollution from power
plants, aimed at reducing air pollution from coal and oil-fired power plants. They set
technology-based emissions limitation standards for mercury and other toxic air
pollutants, reflecting levels achieved by sources currently in operation. The passing of
the rule affects coal- and oil-fired electric generating units with a capacity of 25 MW or
greater. Existing sources will have up to four years to comply with MATS. For more
information please go to the EPA’s website on the subject:
http://www.epa.gov/airquality/powerplanttoxics/index.html.
Greenhouse Gas Prevention of Significant Deterioration and Tailoring
Rule
This EPA rule is part of their phase-in approach to permitting sources of
greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emissions. On December 23, 2010, the EPA issued a series
of rules that put the necessary regulatory framework in place to ensure that industrial
facilities can get clean air act permits covering their GHG emissions when needed if
necessary. The EPA tailoring rule ensures that only the largest sources of GHGs, those
responsible for 70 percent of the GHG pollution from stationary sources, would require
air permits. This rulemaking process is not yet complete. For more information, please
go to the EPA’s website on the subject: http://www.epa.gov/NSR/actions.html.
National Ambient Air Quality Standards (“NAAQS”)
On August 31, 2011, the EPA issued a ruling, effective October 31, 2011, on its
carbon monoxide standards, retaining the standards that were already in place and
setting a compliance date of January 1, 2017 (for the size of the utilities in Hawaii). The
primary standard for carbon monoxide is nine parts per million in an average eight hour
period and thirty-five parts per million in a one hour period (both are not to be exceeded
more than once per year. For more information about all of the NAAQS, please go to
the EPA’s website: http://www.epa.gov/air/criteria.html. For more information on the
carbon monoxide ruling, please see the Federal Register Volume 76, Number 169:
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-08-31/html/2011-21359.htm.
National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for
Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engines (“RICE-NESHAP”)
Though these proposed rule changes issued by the EPA do not become effective
until the EPA issues a final regulation, the proposed amendments to the NESHAP for
reciprocating internal combustion engines including replacing emission limits with
(1) management practices for some engines that are remote from human activity or