Impact Assessment of Significant Deterioration Amendments to the Clean Air Act on Siting of Synthetic Fuel Plants

摘要

An examination was made of the implications of significant deterioration regulations proposed as an amendment to the Clean Air Act with respect to seven proposed synthetic fuel plants, low and high Btu coal gasification and oil shale processing plants. Significant deterioration amendments, if adopted, would specify allowable increments of sulfur dioxide (SO sub 2 ), total suspended particulates (TSP), and possibly nonmethane hydrocarbons (HC), that could not be exceeded by any new sources including synthetic fuel plants. The three sets of proposed significant deterioration increments corresponding to three classifications of intended land use as described by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are: Class I - applies to areas in which practically any air quality deterioration would be considered significant, thus allowing little or no major energy or industrial development; Class II - applies to areas in which deterioration that would normally accompany moderate, well-controlled growth would not be considered significant; and Class III - applies to areas in which deterioration would be permitted, to allow concentrated or very large scale energy or industrial development, as long as national secondary ambient air quality standards are not exceeded. It is concluded that the synthetic fuels plants considered would not be constrained by Class I increments proposed by both the U.S.Senate and House. Class II increments would not prevent the construction of major synthetic fuels complexes in flat terrain, but would constrain the production capacity of a synthetic fuels complex in rough terrain. If an area were redesignated Class III, a 250 MMSCFD low Btu gasification complex could be constructed in rough terrain.