WHAT'S NEW:

No recent state activity has been identified.

AIR EMISSIONS REGULATIONS:

Air Quality Status	3 areas are in moderate nonattainment for PM-10, and 2 areas are in primary nonattainment for SO2. EPA's Nonattainment Areas
Major Source Threshold	PTE 250 tons (100 for listed sources) of any criteria pollutant in attainment areas. 100 tons of any criteria pollutant in nonattainment or maintenance areas.
Minor Source Permitting Exemption	PTE less than 5 tons per year
Minor Source Treatment	Requirements only in nonattainment areas
Emergency Generating Limits	Operating limits

 

DE MINIMIS EXEMPTIONS

Sources with potential to emit less than 5 tons per year of any criteria pollutant or 500 pounds per year of a hazardous pollutant and less than 2,000 pounds per year of any combination of hazardous air pollutants are exempt from permitting.

list of permitting exemptions can be found here.

MINOR SOURCE PERMITTING

Any project that exceeds the exemption level and does not trigger Title V is subject to minor source permitting. In the nonattainment areas of the state, offsetting and controls are likely. State BACT is required in nonattainment areas for PM and SO2. Each individual owner can determine what type of technology he/she wants to utilize to meet BACT pollutant measures. If a unit is close to the Major Source threshold it may be required to complete some modeling to determine the impact on the ambient air. If modeling shows the impact of the unit will be greater than 1.0 micrograms per cubic meter at a one year average or greater than 3.0 micrograms per cubic meter over a 24-hour average for any combination of PM-10, SO2 and NOx, then LAER will be required. For CO, if modeling shows a 1-hr average higher than 2000 micrograms per cubic meter then LAER will also be required. If a unit is located in an attainment area and it does not trigger the above ambient impacts, no additional emission controls will be required. All new sources must meet an opacity limit of 20% for all others.

n overview of permitting fees can be found here.

MAJOR NSR/PSD PERMITTING

250 tons (100 tons for listed sources) per year of any criteria pollutant triggers PSD in attainment areas. Potential to emit 100 tons of CO, PM, SO2, NOx or VOCs in nonattainment or maintenance areas triggers NSR.

TREATMENT OF EMERGENCY ENGINES

Emergency units can only operate during emergencies. Potential to emit calculations are based on 500 hours of operation per year however, the state does not impose an hourly limit on operation. Also, emergency generators must meet 20% opacity limits.

SITING REQUIREMENTS FOR NON-UTILITY GENERATORS:

The Public Service Commission of Utah does not have any authority over the siting of electrical generation facilities. However, local and county authorities need to be consulted in addition with the Department of Environmental Quality.

BUILDING, ZONING AND FIRE CODES:

Building Codes: Utah enforces its statewide Uniform Building Standards, which are based on the adoption of the 2006 IBC with some amendments. Local jurisdictions may amend to create a stricter standard with legislative approval.

• Uniform Building Codes

Energy Codes : As part of the Uniform Building Standards, Utah has adopted the 2006 IECC.

• Energy Policy

Fire Codes: Utah enforces its statewide Fire Prevention Law, which is based on the adoption of the 2006 IFC with some amendments. Local jurisdictions may amend to create a stricter standard.

• State Fire Marshal

Zoning: Zoning and planning happens at the local level. Check with each jurisdiction regarding their zoning codes.

Resources (information may not be as current as provided above)

A general overview of each state’s enacted codes can be found HERE.

The International Code Council Adoption page gives state-by-state adoption status of specific ICC codes, as well as information about code adoption by some municipal governments within that state.

Information about energy codes can be found at the DOE’s Building Codes for Energy Efficiency page or at the Building Codes Assistance Project.

INTERCONNECTION REQUIREMENTS:

In August 2007, the Utah Public Service Commission (PSC) opened a docket 07-999-07 to examine implementation issues associated with the new federal interconnection standard. Public hearings were held in fall and winter 2007, but no recent actions have been taken. On May 8, 2007, the PSC adopted the federal interconnection standard of EPAct 2005 (docket #06-999-03), which requires all utilities to offer interconnection to all distributed generation facilities. Current local requirements are still not universal and the application process is unclear.

In March 2008, Utah’s Code § 54-15-1-1 regarding net-metering was amended with SB 84. Investor-owned utilities and most electric cooperatives must offer net metering to generators using solar energy, wind energy, hydropower, hydrogen, biomass, landfill gas or geothermal energy. However, as of March 2008 electric cooperatives with fewer than 1,000 customers no longer have to make net-metering available to customers not already net-metering. Electric cooperatives headquartered outside of Utah with fewer than 5,000 customers in Utah can offer net-metering in accordance with the rules of the state in which they are based.

With the applicable utilities, net-metering is available to residential systems up to 25 kW in capacity, and up to 2 MW for non-residential. The limit is set at 0.1% of the utility’s peak demand during 2007, but the PSC and electric cooperatives are authorized to raise the aggregate limit.

Customers must follow local fire safety standards and national standards established by the NEC, NESC, IEEE, and UL. Utilities may enforce additional safety requirements if approved by the PSC. An external disconnect is not required unless the PSC deems it necessary. Also, customers are not required to purchase liability insurance or to perform or pay for tests beyond those required by national and local standards.

For more information contact your electric utility or the PSC.

Utah Public Service Commission
Electricity
160 East 300 South
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
Becky Wilson
Phone: (801) 530-6770
E-Mail:rlwilson@utah.gov

EXIT FEES:

Information on exit fees is not currently available. Contact the Utah Public Service Commission to confirm.

UTILITY STANDBY RATES:

Utah does not have a statewide policy on standby rates. Relevant provisions for Utah utilities is summarized below.

PacifiCorp (Rocky Mountain Power) - Schedule 31: Standby power is provided through a contract with the utility that is not to exceed 10 MW. A moderate customer charge and demand based reservation charge is assessed every month. Actual usage is billed through energy and demand charges based on maximum 15 minute demand of the month. There is a very high penalty for exceeding the contract demand. Rates are available at: http://www.rockymountainpower.net/New_Auto_Index/New_Auto_Index2563.html