Air Permits for New - Expanded Sources - Draft MPCA Guidelines

To address mercury impaired waters statewide, MPCA will be controlling air emissions of mercury. The MPCA Statewide Mercury TMDL established a need for a 93% reduction in State emissions compared to a 1990 baseline. On February 25, 2009, MPCA released a working draft of its proposed guidelines for issuing air permits for new or expanded sources, within the constraints of the Mercury TMDL

Under the proposed guidelines, existing mercury-emitting facilities seeking to expand and any new facility expected to emit mercury will be required to implement measures including:

1. Employ the best mercury control available,
2. Complete environmental review as applicable,
3. Provide an assessment of whether its added emissions will prevent meeting sector air emission goal,
4. For new or expanding facilities emitting more than 3 pounds per year, obtain equivalent reductions from existing sources (sometimes referred to a "off-sets"),
5. If equivalent reductions can not be identified, propose alternative mitigation strategies,
6. Submit a Mercury Reduction Plan.

[Read more about MPCA draft guidelines for permitting new and expanding mercury air emission sources]

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