July 14, 1995
South Coast Air Quality
Management District Board
Rule 1149 - Storage Tank Degassing was originally adopted on December 4, 1987 and subsequently amended on April 1, 1988. Its purpose is to reduce volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from the degassing of aboveground and underground storage tanks subject to Rule 1149. Industries subject to the provisions of the Rule include tank owners and operators as well as companies involved in tank excavation, cleaning, and degassing operations.
Implementation of the Rule during the past seven years has revealed several ambiguities in the rule language as it relates to current business and regulatory practices. The existing Rule defines degassing as the process of removing organic gases from a stationary tank, reservoir, or other container for cleaning purposes. Field experience has shown that the storage tank cleaning operation, which precedes the actual degassing operation, is a distinct step in a storage tank "degassing" process and a legitimate source of VOC emissions. The VOC emissions generated during the cleaning operation are from the vacuum producing equipment that is used to pump out the sludge and rinsing liquid from the storage tank. Staff proposes to add the "Cleaning" definition to the Rule. This amendment would clarify the provisions of Rule 1149 as it relates to the underground storage tank cleaning operation.
In addition, certain cities have different regulations pertaining to the removal of underground storage tanks. Some of these tanks are required to be removed as "hazardous" and later cleaned at a state-certified tank yard. Provisions to control VOCs from tanks hauled as "hazardous" have been added to the amended Rule to assure the emissions reduction called for in the original rule.
Several other changes, including the reduction of the notification period from two weeks to at least one day and no more than ten days prior to degassing and the addition of an emergency exemption, are proposed to improve the overall implementation for those regulated while providing adequate means for compliance assessment by the District.
The proposed amendments will not increase emissions nor will they have a significant adverse impact on the environment. The amendments update existing Rule definitions and requirements to ensure consistency with the current degassing practices employed by complying businesses. Therefore, they do not impose any additional cost of doing business on the affected sources and will not result in any adverse socioeconomic impacts.
District staff has reviewed the proposed amendments to Rule 1149 - Storage Tank Degassing, and determined that they are exempt from the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The amendments simply clarify and codify the rule's original intent and will not change current implementation of the rule. As such, a Notice of Exemption has been prepared pursuant to state CEQA Guidelines Section 15002 (k)(1) - Three Step Process [SCAQMD CEQA Guidelines Section 1.2 (k)(1)]. The proposed amendments are also exempt from CEQA pursuant to state CEQA Guidelines Section 15061 (b)(3) - Review for Exemption [SCAQMD Guidelines Section 5.1 (b)(3)], and state CEQA Guidelines Section 15308 - Class 8 - Actions by Regulatory Agencies for the Protection of the Environment [SCAQMD Guidelines Section 19.12]. The Notice of Exemption will be filed with the county clerks of Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Orange counties immediately following the adoption of the proposed amendments.
THEREFORE IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT YOUR BOARD
--Certify the Notice of Exemption for the Final Environmental Assessment for Rule 1149 - Storage Tank Degassing, in accordance with the attached resolution.
--Amend Rule 1149 - Storage Tank Degassing, as set forth in the attached.
Respectfully,
James M. Lents, Ph.D.
Executive Officer
Attachments
PL:WJF:LB:RC
(1149phbl)