NDEQ Seeks Early Stakeholder Input on Draft Nebraska Air Quality Rule;
Meetings Scheduled Oct. 29 and 31
Oct. 9, 2013 -- The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ) has scheduled two outreach meetings in October to seek stakeholder input on a preliminary package of amendments to Title 129 – Nebraska Air Quality Regulations. The draft Title 129 amendment package can be viewed on the NDEQ website.1 The department intends to propose a package of air regulations to the Nebraska Environmental Quality Council (EQC) at its next meeting on February 6, 2014.
These outreach meetings are an extension of two similar open house meetings held in July. The NDEQ Air Division discussed concepts of several proposed Title 129 regulatory changes and gathered early input from stakeholders across Nebraska. Based on those discussions, the NDEQ Air division has put together a draft package of regulatory language.
Both meetings will be held in the NDEQ offices, at 1200 N St., Lincoln, in Room 424. Dates and times are:
October 29th, 2013 -- 2:00-4:00 PM
October 31st, 2013 -- 9:00-11:00 AM
NDEQ encourages people to attend in person, but there will also be a telephone conference line available. 2
The meetings will include a brief presentation by the Air Division, followed by an opportunity to discuss stakeholder questions and to collect comments. Stakeholders may also submit comments by email to ndeq.airquality@nebraska.gov. Any feedback received by November 27, 2013 will be considered prior to finalizing the Title 129 regulatory package. The final package of amendments will be public noticed and made available for formal review and comment at least 30 days prior to the February 2014 EQC hearing.
Proposed Revisions
The NDEQ is planning to propose revisions which would: correct the reference to organic compounds that are exempt from being classified as VOCs to include a partial exemption for t-butyl acetate;
update the definition of “solid waste” to conform with the definition in LB203;
update the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) to include the revised PM2.5 standard ;
include language to allow “off permit” changes and update Chapter 15 to more closely match Part 70;
update the list of New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) and National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPs); and
allow for up to 60 days to submit test results and allow for less than 30 days notice for performance testing.
1 The draft Title 129 amendment package can be found at DEQ’s web site, http://deq.ne.gov, under Laws and Regulations/Proposed Rules and Regulations. 2 Because there is limited availability, registration is required for those who wish to use the telephone conference line for the October 29 and October 31 meetings. Those registrations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis, by sending an e-mail to: ndeq.airquality@nebraska.gov. NDEQ asks that callers use one conference line per organization, if possible.