Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Pinal County air quality staff propose removing emergency affirmative‑defense provisions from Title V permits to comply with federal rules
Summary
Air quality program manager presented a draft rule amendment to remove emergency affirmative‑defense language from the county operating permits program, citing a federal requirement and a court decision; staff said the provision has not been used and that the change will be submitted to ADEQ and EPA for approval.
Rupesh Patel, planning manager for Pinal County’s air quality program, presented a proposed rulemaking to remove emergency affirmative‑defense provisions from the county’s Title V (operating permit) program, saying the change is required for continued federal approval.
Patel told the Board the emergency affirmative‑defense language was originally part of the 1992 Title V regulations to allow permittees to demonstrate that an unforeseeable emergency (for example wildfire or extreme wind events) caused equipment malfunctions and excess emissions and that reasonable steps were taken to minimize emissions. He said a 2014 U.S. Court of Appeals decision in Natural Resources Defense Council v. EPA led the EPA to vacate those provisions, and EPA…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
