Get Involved in Setting the Background

摘要

When a new environmental rule comes out, the power industry is usually at its mercy with no influence on how it will apply or how the industry complies with it. One rare exception applies to the new National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), specifically to how background values are set. Background values are derived from ambient air monitors; this means background values are individualized for each criteria pollutant in a region and represent the current air quality in a given area. Determining appropriate, yet conservative, background values is critical for proper NAAQS compliance determination. Therefore, power plants should be proactive and contact their state permitting agency to encourage them to involve stakeholders in the process.