NEW JERSEY REGISTER

VOLUME 50, ISSUE 6

ISSUE DATE: MARCH 19, 2018

PUBLIC NOTICES

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AIR QUALITY, ENERGY, AND SUSTAINABILITY

DIVISION OF AIR QUALITY

50 N.J.R. 1050(b)

Notice of Opportunity for Public Comment

Notice of Revisions to Technical Manuals 1002 "Guidance on Preparing an Air Quality Modeling Protocol" and 1003 "Guidance on Preparing a Risk Assessment for Air Contaminant Emissions"

Take notice that the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (Department) is seeking public comment on draft revised Technical Manual 1002 "Guidance on Preparing an Air Quality Modeling Protocol," which specifies Department procedures on using modeling to predict the ambient air quality impact of emissions from stationary sources, and Technical Manual 1003 "Guidance on Preparing a Risk Assessment for Air Contaminant Emissions," which specifies Department procedures on risk screening and evaluation.

The technical manuals provide guidance to air permit applicants on the preparation and implementation of protocols for air quality modeling evaluations and health risk assessments. The Department is required to review the technical manuals periodically, and update as necessary, after providing public notice and opportunity for public comment pursuant to N.J.S.A. 26:2C-9.2, Regulation of equipment, control apparatus. These modeling evaluations and risk assessments are required pursuant to N.J.A.C. 7:27-8.5, Air Quality Impact Analysis, for preconstruction permit applications, and 22.8, Air Quality Simulation Modeling and Risk Assessment, for operating permit applications. A health risk assessment is required for applications that exceed the reporting thresholds for toxic pollutants as listed at N.J.A.C. 7:27-17.9, Hazardous air pollutant and toxic substance reporting thresholds and state of the art thresholds.

The significant changes to the existing 2009 Technical Manual 1002 are as follows:

-- The National Ambient Air Quality Standards Table has been updated to include the standards revised since 2009.

-- The model selection information has been updated to incorporate revisions to Appendix W of 40 CFR Part 51 (Guideline on Air Quality Models).

-- Section 10, Risk Assessment Procedures, has been added.

-- Land use and urban/rural determination has been updated with greater detail.

-- Special modeling considerations, such as NO[x] to NO[2] conversion and horizontal/rain cap emission points have been included.

-- The meteorological data section has been improved to include station details.

-- Recently adopted amendments to N.J.A.C. 7:27-18, Control and Prohibition of Air Pollution from New or Altered Sources Affecting Ambient Air Quality (Emission Offset Rule), published at 49 N.J.R. 3511(a), have been included.

-- Air quality information and procedures have been updated to include background information.

-- Appendix A for PSD effected source has been revised to include updated significant monitoring data information, baseline trigger date, soil and vegetation benchmarks, and updated SIL information.

-- Appendix D has been revised to provide hourly ozone values for the highest, 7th highest, and 20th highest days to use in conjunction with variations of Ambient Ratio Method 2 (created from 2015 monitoring data).[page=1051]

-- The rule language quotations and references have been updated with the appropriate citations.

The significant changes to the existing 2009 Technical Manual 1003 are as follows:

-- The modeling for the risk screening worksheets has been updated to be consistent with current models, meteorological data, and procedures.

-- New procedures for risk screening and refined risk assessment have been included.

-- Procedures for facility-wide risk assessment have been included.

-- Reference to Technical Manual 1002 for guidance on submitting a modeling protocol have been included.

-- A section on the applicability for having to conduct a risk assessment has been deleted as the applicability is in recently amended N.J.A.C. 7:27-8 and 22.

-- "1st level" and "2nd level" terminology has been replaced with "risk screening" and "refined risk assessment."

-- A section on comprehensive risk assessment has been deleted.

The draft technical manuals are available for review on the Department's website at http://www.state.nj.us/dep/aqpp/ under "Program Update" and http://www.nj.gov/dep/baqp under "What's New." Submit technical questions on the draft technical manual by e-mailing NJDEP-BAQP@dep.nj.gov, or by contacting the Bureau of Evaluation and Planning at (609) 292-6722.

Submit comments by close of business April 18, 2018 (30 days after publication), electronically at NJDEP-BAQP@dep.nj.gov. The Department encourages electronic submittal of comments. In the alternative, comments may be submitted on paper to:

Attention: Comments on Revisions to Technical Manuals 1002 & 1003

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

Division of Air Quality

Bureau of Evaluation and Planning

401 E. State Street, 2nd Floor

Mail Code 401-07H

PO Box 420

Trenton, NJ 08625-0420

After the Department reviews and evaluates the comments it will revise the technical manuals, and a notice will be published in the New Jersey Register and on the Department's website.