Complexities of Air Quality Permit Issuance for an Iron Foundry near Great Smoky Mountains National Park

摘要

The issuance of air quality construction permits for new industrial projects is often a complex and time consuming process. This complexity increases dramatically when the project is subject to the Prevention of Significant Deterioration air quality regulations and particularly if the site is located near Class I air quality areas such as national parks and wilderness areas. The permitting experience for a new 160 ton per hour iron foundry located in eastern Tennessee is reviewed. This overview presents aspects of the project which will be useful for similar permitting projects. These aspects include air quality siting studies; interaction with state and federal air quality regulatory agencies including the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service; development of Best Available Control Technology; use of the ISC3, VISCREEN, and CALPUFF air quality models to determine effects on air quality standards, visibility and acid deposition; and, development of a seven state emissions inventory to assess cumulative increment consumption at Class I and Class II air quality areas. While eastern Tennessee provided a desirable project site for logistical and economic reasons, it presented a complex and challenging situation for the issuance of a construction air quality permit. Preliminary ISC3 and CALPUFF modeling analyses were performed for several potential sites to assess their air quality impacts on nearby Class I air quality areas such as Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Cohutta National Wilderness Area. After these analyses, the final site was selected for submission of the permit application. During the two year time period required to select a site and obtain an air quality permit, long-range modeling policies for Class I areas changed, resulting in the need for greater emission reductions beyond Best Available Control Technology to assure an insignificant and acceptable air quality impact on Class I areas.