WHAT ARE THE NEW REGULATIONS?
The US EPA has passed a set of air regulations regarding stationary reciprocating internal combustion engines (RICE), including emergency and non-emergency generators.
There are no engine size exemptions so virtually all stationary RICEs in an industrial operation are covered under the regulation.

COMPLIANCE DEADLINE
May 3, 2013 for diesel fuel fired engines
October 19, 2013 for natural gas fired or gasoline fired engines

OVERVIEW
These regulations are too complicated to fully summarize in a one-page notice as there are over 70 different categories of engines with different requirements for each.
However, most engines that operate for less than 100 hours/year as an emergency backup will only have annual maintenance and recordkeeping requirements.
In contrast, engines that are part of a financial arrangement with a power supplier, or engines that operate more than 100 hours/year may have specific emission limits, performance testing, and continuous monitoring requirements. In certain cases where the engine does not meet the emission limits, pollution control devices will need to be installed.

ADMIRAL CAN HELP
Our professional staff is ready to assist you in your efforts to understand and comply with this particularly complicated regulation. To do so, we would need a list of your reciprocating internal combustion engines with each one’s horsepower rating, fuel type, and year of installation. Once this data is obtained, we can identify the specific regulatory requirements applicable to your engines and if there is any compliance issues to be addressed.
We encourage you not to delay as this regulation covers almost all industrial facilities that have emergency generators – even facilities that are not required to have an air permit.

As always, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call or email me (steve@admiralenv.com).

Stephen B. Anderson, PE
Environmental Engineer