[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 101 (Friday, May 24, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24136-24137]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-10904]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OAR-2014-0738 and EPA-HQ-OAR-2010-0682; FRL-9993-82-OAR]


Notice of Final Approval for an Alternative Means of Emission 
Limitation at Shell Oil Products U.S. Martinez Refinery

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice; final approval.

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SUMMARY: This document announces our approval of the alternative means 
of emission limitation (AMEL) request under the Clean Air Act (CAA) 
submitted by Shell Oil Products U.S. Martinez Refinery (Shell Martinez) 
to operate a multi-point ground flare (MPGF) at a refinery in Martinez, 
California. The EPA received one non-substantive comment that appears 
to support the request; we received no adverse comment on the request. 
This approval document specifies the operating conditions and 
monitoring, recordkeeping, and reporting requirements that these 
facilities must follow to demonstrate compliance with the approved 
AMEL.

DATES: The approval of the AMEL request from Shell Martinez to operate 
an MPGF at the Shell Martinez refinery, as specified in this document, 
is approved on May 24, 2019.

ADDRESSES: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established a 
docket for this action under Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2014-0738. All 
documents in the docket are listed on the https://www.regulations.gov/ 
website. Although listed, some information is not publicly available, 
e.g., Confidential Business Information or other information whose 
disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other material, such as 
copyrighted material, is not placed on the internet and will be 
publicly available only in hard copy form. Publicly available docket 
materials are available either electronically through https://www.regulations.gov/ or in hard copy at the EPA Docket Center, EPA WJC 
West Building, Room Number 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, 
DC. The Public Reading Room hours of operation are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 
p.m.

[[Page 24137]]

Eastern Standard Time (EST), Monday through Friday. The telephone 
number for the Public Reading Room is (202) 566-1744, and the telephone 
number for the Docket Center is (202) 566-1742.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions about this final action, 
contact Ms. Angie Carey, Sector Policies and Programs Division (E143-
01), Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27711; 
telephone number: (919) 541-2187; fax number: (919) 541-0516; and email 
address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Preamble acronyms and abbreviations. We use multiple acronyms and 
terms in this preamble. While this list may not be exhaustive, to ease 
the reading of this preamble and for reference purposes, the EPA 
defines the following terms and acronyms here:

AMEL alternative means of emission limitation
BTU/scf British thermal units per standard cubic foot
CFR Code of Federal Regulations
DCU delayed coking unit
EPA Environmental Protection Agency
MACT maximum achievable control technology
MPGF multi-point ground flare
NESHAP national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants

    Organization of this document. The information in this document is 
organized as follows:

I. Background
    A. Summary
    B. Regulatory Flare Requirements
II. Summary of Public Comments on the AMEL Request
III. AMEL for the MPGF

I. Background

A. Summary

    In a Federal Register document dated March 11, 2019, the EPA 
provided public notice and solicited comment on the request under the 
CAA by Shell Martinez to operate an MPGF at a refinery in Martinez, 
California (see 84 FR 8715). In that document, the EPA solicited 
comment on all aspects of the AMEL request, including the operating 
conditions specified in that document that are necessary to achieve a 
reduction in emissions of volatile organic compounds and organic 
hazardous air pollutants at least equivalent to the reduction in 
emissions required by the maximum achievable control technology (MACT) 
requirements for Petroleum Refineries at 40 CFR 63.670(d) that apply to 
emission sources that would be controlled by this MPGF. Shell Martinez 
requested the AMEL for its MPGF that controls emissions from its 
delayed coking unit (DCU). Shell Martinez submitted an AMEL request to 
operate a flare with tip exit velocities greater than those allowed in 
40 CFR 63.670(d) while achieving >= 96.5-percent combustion efficiency 
and 98-percent destruction efficiency.
    This action provides a summary of our approval of this AMEL 
request.

B. Regulatory Flare Requirements

    Shell Martinez provided the information specified in the flare AMEL 
framework set forth in the Petroleum Refinery MACT at 40 CFR 63.670(r) 
to support its AMEL request. Shell Martinez is seeking an AMEL to 
operate its MPGF during upset emergency conditions. This DCU is subject 
to the Petroleum Refinery MACT, 40 CFR part 63, subpart CC; 
accordingly, the request followed the AMEL framework specified in 40 
CFR part 63, subpart CC, at 40 CFR 63.670(r).

II. Summary of Public Comments on the AMEL Request

    The Agency received one non-substantive comment that appears to 
support the initial notice. No adverse comment was received on the 
request.

III. AMEL for the MPGF

    The EPA is approving the AMEL request by Shell Martinez to operate 
an MPGF with tip exit velocities greater than those allowed in 40 CFR 
63.670(d) while achieving >=96.5-percent combustion efficiency and 98-
percent destruction efficiency. We are also establishing in this notice 
the operating conditions for this MPGF as part of this approval. These 
operating conditions, which are the same as those set forth in the 
March 11, 2019, document, will ensure that this flare will achieve 
emission reductions at least equivalent to those achieved by flares 
complying with the relevant requirements in the Petroleum Refinery 
MACT. The operating conditions are as follows:
    (1) The MPGF must be operated according to the requirements of the 
Petroleum Refinery MACT, including 40 CFR 63.670 and 63.671, except 
that all references to a combustion zone heating value of 270 British 
thermal units per standard cubic feet (BTU/scf) are replaced with a 
value of 800 BTU/scf and the flare tip velocity requirements of 40 CFR 
63.670(d) do not apply.
    (2) Each stage that cross-lights must have at least two pilots with 
a continuously lit pilot flame.
    (3) The operator of the DCU MPGF system shall install and operate 
pressure monitor(s) on the main flare header, as well as a valve 
position indicator monitoring system capable of monitoring and 
recording the position for each staging valve to ensure that the flare 
operates at normal maximum operating pressure of 15 pounds per square 
inch gauge as described in the AMEL application. The pressure monitor 
shall meet the requirements in Table 13 of 40 CFR 63, subpart CC.
    (a) The owner or operator of the Shell Martinez DCU MPGF shall meet 
the reporting requirements in the Petroleum Refinery MACT in 40 CFR 
63.655(g)(11)(i)-(iii). In addition, the Shell Martinez MPGF 
notification shall also include records specified in sections (i)-(ii) 
below.
    (i) Records of when the pressure monitor(s) on the main flare 
header show the flare burners are operating outside the range of tested 
conditions or outside the range of the manufacturer's specifications. 
Indicate the date and time for each period, the pressure measurement, 
the stage(s) and number of flare burners affected, and the range of 
tested conditions or manufacturer's specifications.
    (ii) Records of when the staging valve position indicator 
monitoring system indicates that a stage of the flare should not be in 
operation and is, or that a stage of the flare should be in operation 
and is not. Indicate the date and time for each such period, whether 
the stage was supposed to be open but was closed, or vice versa, and 
the stage(s) and number of flare burners affected.

    Dated: May 20, 2019.
Panagiotis Tsirigotis,
Director, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards.
[FR Doc. 2019-10904 Filed 5-23-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6560-50-P