Section 308 Haze Planning Support , Including BART

What is Section 308?

Section 308 of the federal Regional Haze Rule (RHR) generally requires all states to submit State Implementation Plans (SIPs) to reduce air pollutants that are transported across considerable distances and that create regional haze in any of 156 federal Class I national park and wilderness areas throughout the country. These regional haze SIPs must demonstrate reasonable progress toward achieving natural haze conditions in each of the Class I areas by the year 2064. Tribes may also prepare tribal regional haze plans that address Class I areas and air pollution sources on tribal lands. There are 118 federal Class I areas located in the western states.

In addition to demonstrating reasonable progress toward natural conditions in each of the Class I areas, the regional haze rule requires that “Best Available Retrofit Technology” (BART) be included on specific categories of major stationary sources of haze-producing pollutants, primarily electrical generating units (EGUs) that emit large quantities of SO2 and NOx. BART controls are required to be applied to the individual sources that are subject-to-BART no later than 5 years after EPA approval during the first planning period of the RHR, before 2018.

The Western Regional Air Partnership has been working closely through its various committees and forums to provide background data and support for preparation of Section 308 state implementation plans. A complete list of those documents is listed below. States and tribes in the WRAP region have participated in developing these materials and are using these reports and regional technical analyses to develop their individual plans, which were due by December, 2007.

See http://www.wrapair.org/SIPStatus for a status table for each states’ SIP development progress.

Regional Haze Rule – Part 51.300-309, and Guidance, Appendix Y

Regional Haze Rule – Part 51.300-309, and Guidance, Appendix Y
“Each section of the Regional Haze Rule, 40CFR 51 300-309, is presented here, along with Appendix Y. The rule was first promulgated July 1, 1999, and was amended in Federal Register notices on July 6, 2005 (to modify BART provisions and provide guidelines as Appendix Y) and on October 13, 2006 (to add alternatives-to-BART provisions, replacing the 309 SO2 Annex). These revisions are indicated by highlights in the text of sections 302, 308 and 309 – grey for the July 6, 2005 revisions, yellow for the October 13, 2006 revisions.”

(Additional links to reports to follow)