Federal Standards for Marine Tank Vessel Loading and Unloading Operations and National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Marine Tank Vessel Loading and Unloading Operations

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Part 63

[AD-FRL-5063-2]

Federal Standards for Marine Tank Vessel Loading and Unloading

Operations and National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants

for Marine Tank Vessel Loading and Unloading Operations

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Reopening of public comment period.

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SUMMARY: On May 13, 1994 (57 FR 25004), the EPA proposed standards to

regulate the emissions of volatile organic compounds VOC) and hazardous

air pollutants (HAP) from new and existing marine tank vessel loading

and unloading operations which are part of major sources under section

112 of the Clean Air Act (CAA). The initial public comment period

closed on July 18, 1994. On July 15, 1994, (59 FR 36130), the EPA

proposed standards to regulate the emissions of HAP from petroleum

refineries that are major sources under section 112 of the CAA. In the

proposed rule for petroleum refineries, the EPA requested comments on

the concept of expanding the petroleum refinery source category to

include marine vessel loading and unloading operations subject to the

requirements of section 112 of the CAA that occur at refineries. With

this notice, the EPA reopens the comment period on the marine tank

vessel loading and unloading operations to request comment on amending

both the Marine Tank Vessel Loading and Unloading and Petroleum

Refinery source categories to move marine terminals collocated at

refineries from the Marine Tank Vessel Loading and Unloading source

category to the Petroleum Refinery source category.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before September 30, 1994.

ADDRESSES: Comments. Comments should be submitted (in duplicate if

possible) to the EPA's Air and Radiation Docket and Information Center

(6102), ATTN: Docket Number A-90-44, Room M1500, U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency, 401 M Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20460.

Dockets. The following dockets contain supporting information used

in developing the proposed provisions. Docket Number A-90-44 contains

general information used to characterize emissions and control costs

for marine tank vessel loading and unloading operations and Docket A-

93-48 contains information on petroleum refineries. These dockets are

available for public inspection and copying between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00

p.m., Monday through Friday, at the EPA's Air and Radiation Docket and

Information Center, Waterside Mall, Room M1500, 410 M Street, S.W.,

Washington, D.C. 20460. A reasonable fee may be charged for copying.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

On technical issues, David Markwordt, Chemicals and Petroleum Branch,

Emission Standards Division (MD-13), U.S. Environmental Protection

Agency, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, Research Triangle

Park, North Carolina 27711, telephone number (919) 541-0837. For

further information on the legal issue addressed in this notice,

contact Michael S. Winer, Assistant General Counsel, Air and Radiation

Division (2344), Office of General Counsel, Environmental Protection

Agency, 401 M Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20460, telephone number

(202) 260-7606.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On May 13, 1994 (59 FR 25004), the EPA

proposed standards to regulate the emissions of VOC and HAP from new

and existing marine tank vessel loading and unloading operations which

are part of major sources under section 112 of the Clean Air Act (CAA).

The comment period on the proposed rule ended on July 18, 1994. This

notice reopens the public comment period for the proposed rule.

However, only comments limited to the subject described below will be

considered at this time.

The category of major sources for marine vessel loading and

unloading operations includes marine terminals which emit chemicals

listed under section 112 from the direct loading and unloading of bulk

liquids from marine vessels at marine terminals. With the exception of

offshore vessel-to-vessel bulk liquid transfer operations (i.e.,

lightering operations), all marine vessel terminals are included in the

category of major sources for marine vessel loading and unloading

operations. Marine vessel terminals collocated at refineries are not

part of the petroleum refinery source category.

In the petroleum refinery rule, the EPA is proposing that emissions

averaging be allowed for miscellaneous process vents, storage tanks,

and wastewater streams within petroleum refineries. The EPA requested

comments on whether emissions averaging should be included in the final

rule, and on specific features of the proposed emissions averaging

provisions.

The petroleum refinery proposed rule addresses only the 4 emission

points in refinery operations. The EPA requested comments on the

concept of expanding the petroleum refinery source category to include

marine vessel loading and unloading operations subject to the

requirements of section 112 that occur at refineries. The marine vessel

requirements proposed for purposes of compliance with section 183(f),

however, would remain unchanged. If the above change is made to the

petroleum refinery source category, the source category currently

listed in accordance with section 112(c) as Marine Tank Vessel Loading

and Unloading Operations would be split into two parts--those which are

collocated at refineries and those which are not. The ones collocated

at refineries would be combined with and become part of the refinery

source category. The source category list would be amended accordingly.

The purpose would be to allow emissions averaging between the HAP

emissions from marine vessel loading and unloading and the HAP

emissions from the refinery emission points identified in the petroleum

refinery rule as suitable for emissions averaging. It appears that in

some cases, there may be opportunities to control some of these

emission points (e.g. storage tanks) more cost-effectively than marine

vessel loading and unloading operations. In other cases, it may be more

cost effective to control marine vessel operation emissions than the

refinery emission points. Integrating marine loading and unloading

operations into the refinery category and utilizing emissions averaging

may provide an opportunity for more emissions reductions at a lower

cost than would occur if the categories remain separate. In addition,

because of the 10 percent discount factor, additional emissions

reduction will be achieved if emissions averaging is used.

If the suggested approach were adopted, the limitations of the

proposed emissions averaging provisions included in the petroleum

refinery proposal would also apply to the loading and unloading

operations. With regard to calculating the emissions for purposes of

averaging, the May 13 marine vessel operations proposal included

procedures for determining HAP emissions from marine vessel loading

operations for purposes of determining applicability of the rule; the

EPA solicited comment on these procedures. These emission estimating

procedures will also be considered for the purpose of emission

averaging. The promulgation date, and thus the compliance date, for the

marine vessel loading and unloading standard is currently expected to

be earlier than the petroleum refinery standard. The EPA requests

comments on whether and how these compliance dates should be made

consistent, and what legal factors should be considered.

The EPA's database which serves as the basis for the May 13

proposed rule for marine vessels does not identify which loading and

unloading operations occur at refineries as opposed to other types of

plants. However, the EPA has no data to indicate that marine vessel

loading operations at refineries are dissimilar to marine vessel

loading operations located at other facilities or that their control

levels differ. Therefore, the EPA anticipates that the floors for

neither the petroleum refinery nor the marine vessel rules would be

affected by redefining the source categories as described.

If the EPA expands the refinery source category to include marine

vessel loading and unloading operations, loading operations at

refineries would have an opportunity to average emissions and reduce

costs. In addition, they would be required to achieve additional

emission reductions in accordance with the 10 percent discount

requirement contained in the emissions averaging provisions. Loading

operations that stand alone would not have this same opportunity to

reduce costs. Public comment is solicited on the magnitude of these

impacts and the appropriateness of this distinction.

Some marine terminals handle products with low concentrations of

HAP's but high concentrations of non-HAP VOC. In such circumstances, it

may be cost-effective to forego control of HAP's from marine terminals

by over controlling HAP's from another emission point. If, however, the

emission point being controlled does not offset the non-HAP VOC

foregone by not controlling the marine terminals, a net increase in

non-HAP VOC could result. The EPA solicits comments on what

considerations should be given to this type of situation in deciding to

combine marine terminals and refineries for the purpose of emission

averaging.

The EPA requests comment on the extent to which emissions averaging

between marine vessel loading and unloading operations and other

refinery operations could result in exposure spikes. This could occur

if batch emission streams were left uncontrolled in exchange for

control of continuous emission streams, or vice versa.

The EPA also requests that commenters submit data on possible

emission factors and/or alternative emission calculation procedures for

marine vessel operations for consideration in the final rule.

Dated: August 24, 1994.

Mary Nichols,

Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation.

[FR Doc. 94-21490 Filed 8-30-94; 8:45 am]

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