Section 24-153. Emissions of air contaminant; environmental ratings

No
  person shall cause, permit or allow the emission of air contaminant from
  any equipment altered or  installed  after  August  twentieth,  nineteen
  hundred  seventy-one,  which  exceeds  the  permissible  emission  rates
  specified  in  figures  one,  two,  three,  four  and  five,   for   the
  environmental  rating as determined in accordance with table one of this
  section.
    (a) On October first, nineteen hundred seventy-one, or such later date
  as established by an order of the commissioner the permissible  emission
  rates  specified in this section shall become applicable to equipment in
  existence on or prior to August twentieth, nineteen hundred seventy-one.
    (b) The provisions of this section shall not be construed to allow  or
  permit  any  person to emit air contaminant in quantities which alone or
  in combination with other  sources  would  contravene  any  air  quality
  standards.
    (c) This section shall be supplemental to all other provisions of this
  code  and  in  the  event  of  conflict the more stringent section shall
  control.
 
                   TABLE 1 - Environmental Rating Criteria
 
    Rating
    A. Includes processes, and exhaust and ventilation systems  where  the
  discharge of air contaminant results, or would reasonably be expected to
  result,  in  serious  adverse  effects  on receptors or the environment.
  These effects may be of a health, economic or aesthetic  nature  or  any
  combination of these.
    B.  Includes  processes, and exhaust and ventilation systems where the
  discharge of contaminant results, or would  reasonably  be  expected  to
  result, in only moderate and essentially localized effects; or where the
  multiplicity  of sources of the contaminant in any given area is such as
  to require an overall  reduction  of  the  atmospheric  burden  of  that
  contaminant.
    C.  Includes  processes, and exhaust and ventilation systems where the
  discharge of contaminant would  reasonably  be  expected  to  result  in
  localized adverse effects of an aesthetic or nuisance nature.
    D.  Includes  processes, and exhaust and ventilation systems where, in
  view  of  properties  and  concentrations  of  the  emissions,  isolated
  conditions,  stack  heights,  and  other  factors,  it  can  be  clearly
  demonstrated that discharge of contaminant will not result in measurable
  or observable effects on  receptors  and  not  add  to  an  existing  or
  predictable   atmospheric   burden   of  that  contaminant  which  would
  reasonably be expected to cause adverse effects.
    The following items will be considered in making  a  determination  of
  the environmental rating to be applied to a particular source:
    (a) properties, quantities and rates of the emissions;
    (b) physical surroundings of emission source;
    (c)  population  density  of  surrounding  area, including anticipated
  future growth;
    (d) dispersion characteristics at or near source;
    (e)  location  of  emission  source  relative  to  ground  level   and
  surrounding buildings, hills, and other features of the terrain;
    (f) current or anticipated ambient air quality in vicinity of source;
    (g) latest findings relating to effects of ground-level concentrations
  of the emissions on receptors;
    (h)  possible  hazardous  side  effects of air contaminant in question
  mixing with air contaminants already in ambient air; and
    (i) engineering guides which are acceptable to the commissioner.

    (For Figures 1 through 4 see chapter 907 of the laws of 1985)
 
                                   FIGURE 5
               Usual Degree of Air Cleaning Required (1) from
                         Processes, and Exhaust and
                           Ventilation Systems for
                   Gases and Liquid Particulate Emissions
                (Environmental Ratings A*, B*, C*, and D) and
                         Solid Particulate Emissions
                         (Environmental Rating A*)**
 
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------
                       Emission Rate Potential (lb/hr)
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
  Environ-  Less   1  10   20  100   500   1,000  1,500   4,000  Greater
  mental    than  to  to   to   to    to     to     to      to   than
  Rating    1.0   10  20  100  500  1,000  1,500  4,000  10,000  10,000
  A         see                 99%          Greater than 99%
            Note
            (2)
  B              ***  90-  91-  94-                 97-     98-  Greater
                      91%  94%  96%    96-97%       98%     99%  than
                                                                 99%
  C              ***  70-  75-  85-                              Greater
                      75%  85%  90%    90-93%        93-98%      than
                                                                 98%
  D                                      ***
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
    *   See Figure (1) for permissible emissions
    **  See Figure (2) for permissible emissions of solid particulates for
  environmental rating B,C and D.
    *** Degree  of  air  cleaning  may  be  specified  by the commissioner
  providing satisfactory dispersion is achieved.
    (1) Where multiple emission sources are  connected  to  a  common  air
  cleaning  device, the degree of air cleaning required will be that which
  would be required if each individual  emission  source  were  considered
  separately.
    (2)  For an average emission rate potential less than 1.0 lb./hr., the
  desired air cleaning efficiency shall  be  determined  by  the  expected
  concentration of the air contaminant in the emission stream. Where it is
  uneconomical  to  employ  air cleaning devices, other methods of control
  should be considered.