2009-04-29_REVISION - M1980146 - Laserfiche WebLink

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EPA accounted for public health and welfare by creating both primary and secondary standards. Primary standards were established to promote human health with an adequate margin of safety to protect those most vulnerable, such as asthmatics, infants, and elderly persons. More stringent secondary standards were established to promote human welfare by preventing impaired visibility, building and crop damage, etc. In Colorado, primary enforcement of the CAA (and subsequent amendments) is delegated to the Air Pollution Control Division (APCD) of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), with direct oversight by EPA Region 8. APCD has the authority for the State air-quality regulations along with permitting, inspection and compliance programs, and the State of Colorado has adopted the NAAQS for the criteria pollutants listed above. The San Juan Basin Health Department acts in a supporting role with APCD for complaints and investigations related to odors, fugitive dust control, and exhaust-stack emissions. C and J operates from an existing Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining, and Safety permit (permit # M1980146) in 24 acres in the NE % of the NW '/ of Section 10 (34N, 9W). The Proposed Action would be subject to the following APCD regulations: • Regulation 1 - PM, Smoke, CO and SO2 • Regulation 2 - Odor Emissions • Regulation 3 - Stationary Source Permitting & Air Pollutant Emission Notices • Regulation 6 - New Source Performance Standards Attainment Status Geographic areas that exceed a particular NAAQS pollutant standard are considered "non- attainment" for that pollutant. In effort to implement Section 176 of the CAA, the EPA issued the General Conformity Rule which states that a Federal action (including permitting) must not cause or contribute to any violation of the NAAQS, or delay timely attainment of air-quality standards. A conformity determination is required for each pollutant where the total of direct and indirect emissions caused by a Federal action in a non-attainment (or maintenance) area exceeds de minimus rates listed in the rule (40 CFR 93.153). However, there has been no designation of non-attainment for the project area, the surrounding area, or La Plata County. Since the project area lies within a NAAQS attainment airshed, the general conformity determination is not required. According to the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission's 2006-2007 Report to the Public, La Plata County did not rank amongst the highest monitoring-station readings for PMIo, PM 2.5, CO or Pb in the 31-county Western Slope Region. There are four PM monitoring stations maintained by CDPHE in La Plata County. Air Pollutant Sources The local and regional air quality in the project area is generally considered good, although development activities have noticeable impacts. Local, regional and distant air pollutant sources are known to affect air quality in the project area. Coal-fired power plants in San Juan County, New Mexico and Coconino County, Arizona are the largest nearby point sources of SO2 and NOx. Other local sources of air pollutants include vehicle traffic on paved and unpaved roadways, oil & gas development activities within the San Juan Basin (New Mexico and it, Colorado), sand & gravel mining and processing operations, forest fires, and emissions from Grandview Gravel Pit Expansion Environmental Assessment 13