[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