Air Toxics Rule 1402 Update

At its monthly meeting on October 7th, 2016, the Governing Board of the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) discussed Proposed Amended Rule (PAR) 1402 – Air Toxics from Existing Sources. PAR 1402 implements AB2588 within the SCAQMD, and requires facilities with large quantities of toxic emissions to prepare toxic emission inventories, health risk assessments (HRAs), and risk reduction plans (RRPs). The Governing Board showed no opposition to the proposed regulatory language; however, they proposed one change: reduce the Risk Management Plan implementation period from 2.5 years down to 2 years. This would require high risk facilities to lower the health risks associated with toxic emissions faster than initially proposed.

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The Governing Board’s discussion was the latest development in the PAR 1402 rulemaking process, which began over a year ago. In addition to discussion at the Governing Board meeting, SCAQMD released the following updated documents:

• Draft Staff Report
• Draft Voluntary Risk Reduction Program Guidelines
• Draft Public Notification Procedures
• Draft Environmental Assessment
• Draft Socioeconomic Report

​Since the Governing Board showed minimal signs of opposition, the draft regulatory language should be approved once it incorporates the Governing Board’s one change. Once the rule is finalized, SCAQMD will begin the facility prioritization process. High-priority facilities will receive a letter from SCAQMD requiring an Air Toxics Inventory Report (ATIR). Once the ATIR is completed, an HRA and RMP may be required depending on the facilities potential risks to their surrounding receptors. Contact Alta for more information on PAR 1402 and SCAQMD’s forthcoming actions at 888-608-3010.