An Acid Rain Permit tells us how the power plant plans to comply with the Acid
Rain Program. It may be issued separately from other permits required by US EPA,
but eventually becomes part of the plant’s Title V Permit [65]. The owners of the
plant send an application to the appropriate agency. The agency, after checking to
see if the application is complete, reviews the application and issues the permit.
During Phase I of the Acid Rain Program (1995–2000), US EPA Regional
Offices issued permits to those power plants, which participated. In New England,
Merrimack Station in Bow, NH, was the only station required to participate. Four
other power plants (Newington Station, Portsmouth, NH; Mount Tom, Chicopee,
MA; Salem Harbor, Salem, MA; Brayton Point, Somerset, MA) also participated in
Phase I under other provisions of the program. US EPA New England issued Phase I
permits to each of these plants. The Phase I permits expired on January 1, 2000.
During Phase II (2000–present), the permits are issued by the states. Each New
England State has a program, which issues permits. In Vermont, the Acid Rain
Permit is generally issued as part of the Title V Permit. Other states generally issue
the Acid Rain Permit first and later incorporate it into the Title V Permit. Acid Rain
Permits are usually issued for a period of 5 years [66]. Each of these facilities has
filed an Acid Rain Permit application with the appropriate state, and the state has
issued a permit.
8.6 Acid Rain Monitoring
Continuous emissions monitors (CEMs) tell us how much of a pollutant a power
plant (or other affected facility) emits. Under the Acid Rain Program, each affected
unit must monitor emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. Most also
measure carbon dioxide. CEMs are the most common way to monitor emissions,
but in some cases, utilities may use an approved alternate method. For example, if a
unit burns oil and they know the sulfur content of the oil and the amount they used,
they can compute the amount of sulfur dioxide they will emit.
Each plant in the Acid Rain Program must submit a monitoring plan to US EPA
and revise it as their monitoring system changes. This document tells which monitors
will be used, where they will be located, and how the data will be gathered and sent
to US EPA. If a plant’s monitoring system changes, they must revise their
monitoring plan.
There are several ways to monitor emissions from a plant. Nitrogen oxides are
measured by taking a sample of the gas emitted thought the plant’s smokestack and
analyzing it. In some cases, sulfur dioxide is measured this way, but it can also be
computed sulfur emissions from the fuel’s sulfur content. When plants use natural
gas, which contains only traces of sulfur, it may be estimated by assuming the gas
contains a certain low amount of sulfur. Sulfur emissions from such plants are so low
that an actual measurement of sulfur dioxide is impractical.
Power plants must submit data whenever they are operating. If their monitor is not
operating, they must report a “default” value, which is generally the maximum
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Rain Program. It may be issued separately from other permits required by US EPA,
but eventually becomes part of the plant’s Title V Permit [65]. The owners of the
plant send an application to the appropriate agency. The agency, after checking to
see if the application is complete, reviews the application and issues the permit.
During Phase I of the Acid Rain Program (1995–2000), US EPA Regional
Offices issued permits to those power plants, which participated. In New England,
Merrimack Station in Bow, NH, was the only station required to participate. Four
other power plants (Newington Station, Portsmouth, NH; Mount Tom, Chicopee,
MA; Salem Harbor, Salem, MA; Brayton Point, Somerset, MA) also participated in
Phase I under other provisions of the program. US EPA New England issued Phase I
permits to each of these plants. The Phase I permits expired on January 1, 2000.
During Phase II (2000–present), the permits are issued by the states. Each New
England State has a program, which issues permits. In Vermont, the Acid Rain
Permit is generally issued as part of the Title V Permit. Other states generally issue
the Acid Rain Permit first and later incorporate it into the Title V Permit. Acid Rain
Permits are usually issued for a period of 5 years [66]. Each of these facilities has
filed an Acid Rain Permit application with the appropriate state, and the state has
issued a permit.
8.6 Acid Rain Monitoring
Continuous emissions monitors (CEMs) tell us how much of a pollutant a power
plant (or other affected facility) emits. Under the Acid Rain Program, each affected
unit must monitor emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. Most also
measure carbon dioxide. CEMs are the most common way to monitor emissions,
but in some cases, utilities may use an approved alternate method. For example, if a
unit burns oil and they know the sulfur content of the oil and the amount they used,
they can compute the amount of sulfur dioxide they will emit.
Each plant in the Acid Rain Program must submit a monitoring plan to US EPA
and revise it as their monitoring system changes. This document tells which monitors
will be used, where they will be located, and how the data will be gathered and sent
to US EPA. If a plant’s monitoring system changes, they must revise their
monitoring plan.
There are several ways to monitor emissions from a plant. Nitrogen oxides are
measured by taking a sample of the gas emitted thought the plant’s smokestack and
analyzing it. In some cases, sulfur dioxide is measured this way, but it can also be
computed sulfur emissions from the fuel’s sulfur content. When plants use natural
gas, which contains only traces of sulfur, it may be estimated by assuming the gas
contains a certain low amount of sulfur. Sulfur emissions from such plants are so low
that an actual measurement of sulfur dioxide is impractical.
Power plants must submit data whenever they are operating. If their monitor is not
operating, they must report a “default” value, which is generally the maximum
292
L. K. Wang et al.