AIR QUALITY
Air District, Materials Producers Work Together for Air Quality By Suzanne Seivright, Director of Regional Government Affairs and Grassroots Operations, CalCIMA
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CalCIMA members and South Coast AQMD staff had the necessary information to create a rule that minimized operational disruptions at industry facilities while allowing the agency to account for surplus emissions reductions from industry. This included several industry-led virtual facility tours.
outh Coast Air Quality Management District’s (AQMD) Governing Board approved Rule 1147.1 ‘Aggregate Dryers’ that aims to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) and carbon monoxide (CO) pollutants from industrial drying equipment. The rule was developed in response to the phase-out of South Coast AQMD’s ‘Regional Clean Air Incentives Market (RECLAIM)’ program and to meet BARCT development deadlines under AB 617. CalCIMA members operate local plants and facilities throughout the region, producing aggregate, concrete, asphalt, and industrial minerals. These materials are all necessary to California’s infrastructure, among other 18
essential uses. Over the course of years, CalCIMA members engaged with South Coast AQMD staff to help develop this new rule to regulate burners used to dry aggregate. CalCIMA member participation and education of South Coast AQMD staff was vital to the rulemaking process. CalCIMA members helped ensure that South Coast AQMD had the necessary information to create a rule that minimized operational disruptions at industry facilities while allowing the agency to account for surplus emissions reductions from industry. This included several industry-led virtual facility tours. Rule 1147.1 can be a costly rule to comply with since it can trigger significant upgrades at facilities.
The rule is not only limited to the combustion equipment that will need to be replaced but also inclusive of the overall facility designs that will need to be overhauled to accommodate the new combustion equipment. As a result, land entitlements may need to be addressed, and CEQA may be triggered in relation to these entitlements. Additionally, AB 617 speeds up the compliance process adding another costly layer of complexity. South Coast AQMD and the construction materials industry efforts to address critical rulemaking issues was vital to maintaining operations and maximizing the reduction of emissions in communities. These efforts led to the development of a The Conveyor • 2022 Winter Issue
