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Contact Information:
PA DEP
Rachel Carson State Office Building
400 Market Street
Harrisburg, PA 17105
(717) 772-3977
Or view the Department's
Website
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PENNSYLVANIA
LATEST NEWS:
New Diesel or No. 2 Fuel-fired Internal Combustion Engine Regulations, GP-9 (8/05)
The DEP's new Diesel IC Engine Regulations have hourly operation
limits for diesel-fired IC engines depending on size and ozone non-attainment classification. The following limitations also apply:
- NOx 6.9 gms/hp-hr
- Sulfur content of fuel 0.3% (by weight)
- PM 0.4 gms/bhp-hr
*********************Caveat: Sources located in Allegheny and Philadelphia Counties may be subject to
different permitting requirements*********************
DE MINIMIS EXEMPTIONS:
Combustion sources smaller than 1 MMBtu/hr are exempt from permitting. No state notification is required.
GENERAL PERMITS:
The following sources are exempt from permitting:
Units smaller than 2.5 MMBtu/hr of heat input,
Combustion units with a rated capacity less than 10 MMBtu/hr of heat input fueled by natural gas supplied by a public
utility or by commercial fuel oils which are No. 2 or lighter-viscosity less than or equal to 5.82 C St--and which meet
the sulfur content requirements. Commercial fuel oil shall be virgin oil which contains no reprocessed, recycled, or waste material
added,
Combustion Turbines smaller than 1,000 hp or 10.7 gigajoules per hour,
IC engines rated at less than 100 hp,
Portable, temporary internal combustion engines used for 14 days or less at special events, OR
IC engines regardless of size, with combined NOx emissions less than 100 lbs/hr, 1000 lbs/day, 2.75 tons per ozone
season and 6.6 tons per year on a 12-month rolling basis for all exempt engines at the site.
State notification is required.
General Permit:
BAQ-GPA/GP-1 Small Gas and No. 2 Oil Fired Combustion Units
The general permit is applicable to combustion units with a rated capacity
less than 50 MMBtu/hr of heat input fueled by natural gas supplied by a public utility, liquefied petroleum gas, propane, or by
commercial fuel oils which are No. 2 or lighter, with viscosity less than or equal to 5.82C St and which meet the
sulfur content requirements of PA code Section 123.22. The permit is issued for a term of five (5) years.
Additional Requirements for General Permit
MINOR SOURCE PERMITTING:
The restrictions and controls under this permit will be determined on a case-by-case basis. All sources have to
do Best Available Technology (BAT) for all criteria pollutants (a form of state BACT). The cost guideline is approximately
$7-10,000/ton NOx in the severe nonattainment areas. In moderate nonattainment areas $5,000/ton is the approximate
threshold for NOx. The threshold for CO is $4,000 in all areas. The state is also developing a new general permit.
The draft language in the new permit requires a fuel sulfur limit of 0.3% and PM emissions less than 0.4 g/hp-hr.
There is a 30 day public comment period for minor source permits. The entire permitting process generally takes
approximately 180 days.
By May 1, 2005 and each year thereafter, the owner or opertor of a stationary combustion turbine greater
than 100 MMBtu located in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery or Philadelphia County shall calculate the
difference between actual emissions during the period of May 1st -- September 30th and allowed emissions
according to the table below. A source must surrender to the PA DEP a NOx allowance for each ton of NOx over
the permitted limit. The surrendered NOx allowances shall be of current year vintage. For the purpose of
determining the amount of allowances to surrender, any remaining fraction of a ton equal to or greater
than 0.50 ton is deemed to equal 1 ton and any fraction of a ton less than 0.50 ton is deemed to equal
zero tons.
MAJOR NSR/PSD PERMITTING:
250 tons of any criteria pollutant triggers PSD. 100 tons of NOx and VOC triggers NSR in most of the
state. In the severe nonattainment areas 25 tons of NOx or VOC triggers NSR.
TREATMENT OF EMERGENCY ENGINES:
"Emergency" is not a defined term so there isn't any special treatment for these units. Applicants must
fill out a request for determination that describes the unit and the hours that it will operate. Potential to emit
calculations are based on how many hours the applicant wants to operate. Officials are currently working on a general
permit for diesel engines that will include peaking and emergency generators.
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission does not have any jurisdiction or authority over electrical
generation siting. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is responsible for the
environmental permitting. Local zoning laws dictate where generation facilities can be built.
In the state of Pennsylvania, a utility may asses an exit fee on a DG customer for the loss of load to the
utility's system. (See below)
Customers are liable for their fully allocated share of transition costs. This cost is recouped through a
competitive transition charge through 2010. Some utilities, predominately ones without nuclear generator assets,
have already recovered their stranded costs.
The Electricity Generation Customer Choice and Competition Act,
66 Pa. C.S § 2808. Competitive Transition Charge
If a customer installs on-site generation which operates in parallel with other generation on the public
utility's system and which significantly reduces the customer's purchases of electricity through the transmission
and distribution network, the customer's fully allocated share of transition or stranded costs shall be recovered
from the customer through a competitive transition charge. The competitive transition charge shall be included on
bills to customers for a period not to exceed nine years from the effective day of this chapter (2010) unless a
alternative payment methodology is mutually agreed upon by the customer and the utility or unless the commission,
in its discretion and for good cause shown, orders an alternative payment period. In establishing the length of
the period for collection of the competitive transition charge, the commission shall consider the effect on the
ability of the commonwealth to compete in attracting industry and jobs, on the financial health of electric
utilities and other relevant factors.
*Above rules cited from the regulations page of the DTE Website
Exit Fees In Effect
| Utility |
Exit Fee Sunset Date |
| Alleghent Power (West Penn Power) |
Still in Effect (December 31, 2008) |
| Citizens' Electric of Lewisburg |
None |
| Duquesne Light Company |
February 20, 2003 (While the Competitive Transition Charge is being dropped from residential bills, some commercial and industrial customers are still paying the charges.) |
| First Energy (Met Ed and Penelec) |
Still in Effect |
| Pennsylvania Power Light Company (PPL) |
Still in Effect |
| FirstEnergy (Penn Power) |
Still in Effect |
| Excelon (PECO) |
Still in Effect |
| Pike County Light Power Company |
Still in Effect |
| UGI Corporation |
Still in Effect |
Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, Building Code
The Department of Labor and Industry proposed
to adopt as its Uniform Construction Code (UCC) the International Building Code (IBC) 2000. However, in
February 2003, the next triennial version of the IBC was issued. Since the Department's final form
regulation will likely not be approved until late in 2003 and Act 45 requires the adoption of successor
codes no later than December 31 in the year in which they are issued, Pennsylvania will be adopting the
IBC 2003 and most of the other codes published by the International Code Council. The current regulations
may be viewed below:
Liquefied Petroleum Gas Regulations
Flammable and Combustible Liquids Regulations
Uniform Construction Code
International Code Council State Adoption Information Page
Provides an easy to use US map to locate state and local adoption of the International Code Council's model codes.
US DOE's Office of Building Technology, State and Community Programs, Building Codes Database
The US DOE's database provides a comprehensive look at a state's building code implementation and enforcement
process.
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