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Sponsored by the Environmental Assistance Office (EAO)
for Small Business at UNC Charlotte, The
Environmental Corner is designed to serve as an
environmental management and pollution prevention
resource.
The newsletter topic for
this month is air permitting. Many different
chemical discharges require an air permit. For
this newsletter, the chemicals and amounts will be
discussed as well as providing resources for
assistance in determining if an air permit is
required and how to go about getting one.
In this issue:
What is an air permit?
Air quality in Mecklenburg county is regulated by
the Mecklenburg County Air Pollution Control
Ordinance (MCAPCO). All sections of the
ordinance are available on their website.
http://www.charmeck.org/Departments/LUESA/Air+Quality/Air+Quality+Regulations.htm
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What chemical
discharges require an air permit?
List of regulated
pollutants:
(1)
sulfur dioxide,
(2)
total suspended particulates,
(3)
particulate matter (PM10/PM2.5),
(4)
carbon monoxide,
(5)
nitrogen oxides,
(6)
volatile organic compounds,
(7)
lead and lead compounds,
(8)
fluorides,
(9)
total reduced sulfur, 152-3 MCAPCO 11/05
(10)
reduced sulfur compounds,
(11)
hydrogen sulfide,
(12)
sulfuric acid mists,
(13)
asbestos,
(14)
arsenic and arsenic compounds,
(15)
beryllium and beryllium compounds,
(16)
cadmium and cadmium compounds,
(17)
chromium (VI) and chromium (VI) compounds,
(18)
mercury and mercury compounds,
(19)
hydrogen chloride,
(20)
vinyl chloride,
(21)
benzene,
(22)
ethylene oxide,
(23)
dioxins and furans,
(24)
ozone, or
(25)
any toxic air pollutant listed in MCAPCO Regulation
2.1104 - “Toxic Air Pollutant
Guidelines”.
Activities
specifically exempted from permit requirements are
detailed in the same section of the ordinance. Click
HERE
to access the sections of the ordinance showing the
pollutants requiring a permit as well as the
exemptions.
Toxic
air pollutants are listed
HERE
and the table shows the amount for which a permit is
required. The toxic pollutants listed on the
table may be classified as carcinogens, chronic
toxicants, acute systemic toxicants, or acute
irritants.
The
Mecklenburg Air Quality Department will make a free
determination based on submitted applicable
information about whether or not a business/industry
requires an air permit..
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How does a company obtain an
air permit?
Permit forms are available on the Mecklenburg
County Air Quality Department website.
http://www.charmeck.org/Departments/LUESA/Air+Quality/Permited+Facility+Information/Air+Quality+Permit+Applications.htm
Instructions for completing the forms are also
available on the same page. All are available
as either MS Word documents or Adobe Acrobat
documents. The General Instructions link
contains a matrix showing the forms required for
each different type of permit.
A completed application form with an appropriate
application fee shall be submitted to MCAQ for
processing. The regulation requires a permit is
issued or denied within 90 days after a complete
application is received by MCAQ. Constructing and/or
operating an air pollution source without a permit
will be considered as a violation of MCAPCO.
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Where can I find help on air
permitting?
The permitting process
is included in MCAPCO Regulation 1.5213. MCAQ staff
can be reached at 704-336-5500 and will provide
answers to your permitting questions. The permit
process can be very confusing for a first time
applicant. If you are a
first time applicant and have questions on
application forms, free help is available from the Environmental Assistance Office for Small
Business (EAO) at The University of North Carolina
at Charlotte. The EAO can assist in
determining if your company requires a permit and if
so, can assist in completing the application and
locating the required information for the
application forms.
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Environmental Assistance
Office (EAO) for Small Business
The Environmental Assistance Office for Small
Business provides non-regulatory,
client-confidential pollution prevention assistance
to small businesses in the greater Charlotte region.
The EAO is designed to assist regional businesses in
their efforts to voluntarily prevent pollution. The
EAO staff can provide timely assistance for
pollution prevention planning, including information
about industry-specific case studies, waste-specific
case studies, and new technologies. The office
provides links of resources to needs between the
region's business community, government,
municipality, and university. If there is a
particular issue or question you would like to see
in an upcoming edition, please send an e-mail to
EAOforSB@email.uncc.edu.
Contact Information:
Environmental Assistance Office for Small Business:
9201 University City Blvd. 258 Cameron Building, UNC
Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28233-0001
Phone number: 704-687-3968 Fax number: 704-687-3115
Email:
EAOforSB@email.uncc.edu
Services:
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Assistance with Air Permits - Assistance for small
businesses in completing paperwork for EPA air
permits.
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Educational Materials - Educational pamphlet,
brochures, flyers, and other materials to relate
facts on pollution prevention.
-
Educational Outreach - Develop educational outreach
campaigns and presentations for the public or
employee training.
-
University Resources - Library information, faculty
expertise, student projects and research at both
graduate and undergraduate levels.
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