Excess Air Emission Events in Louisville
The term "excess emissions" refers to air emissions from a facility that exceed a required numerical limit OR air emissions that result from practices that are not in compliance with requirements set by a facility's permit or local regulations. Air Pollution Control District (APCD) Regulation 1.07 establishes notification, reporting, and operational requirements for regulated facilities when excess emissions occur in Louisville.
The APCD collects reports after these excess air emissions events that are used to evaluate whether the regulated facility has complied with the emissions standards laid out in their operating permit and any applicable APCD regulations. The information in the reports helps determine appropriate enforcement action, if any.
Planned Events
Planned events include the start-up or shutdown of processes or process equipment. If excess emissions are expected to occur during any planned startup or shutdown, the source must notify the APCD in writing no later than three days before the event. This initial notification includes process and equipment involved, date and time, duration, estimated quantity and concentration of the pollutants involved, and the reason for and necessity of the startup or shutdown.
No later than five working days after the startup or shutdown, the source must send a report to the APCD whether or not excess emissions occurred. If there were excess emissions the report must include detailed information on the event, including the process or equipment involved in the startup or shutdown, pollutants involved, calculated quantity and concentration of excess emissions, and an explanation as to how APCD regulations were followed during the event.
Unplanned Events
Unplanned events are often collectively referred to as “upset conditions,” and include both malfunctions and preventable upset conditions. The APCD is not a first responder during upset condition events. If in the event of an upset condition a source had or is likely to have excess emissions, an initial report must be made to the APCD within one hour of the start of the event. If an emergency response was required and 911 was called, the source instead has two hours to make the initial report. This includes basic information including the date and time of the event, the likely cause, and the estimated quantity and concentration released of each pollutant involved. This initial notification may be completed via email, fax, or phone. Additional written notification of the end of the upset condition is required no later than 4 hours after the event ended.
No later than 15 calendar days after the excess emissions ended, the source must submit a written follow-up report. This report confirms or updates the information included in the initial report as well as providing more detailed information about the event, including calculated quantity and concentration of excess emissions for each pollutant involved, the extent to which emissions standards were exceeded, an overview of the actions taken during the event, and the steps that will be taken in the future to prevent a similar event.
Any unplanned startup or shutdown during which excess emissions occur due to an upset condition is treated as part of the upset condition. If the initial report is made but no excess emissions event actually occurred, the source must submit a written "no excess emission report" within five working days.
Excess Emissions Event Dashboard
This dashboard contains the final follow-up reports submitted by facilities after a potential excess emissions event.
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Excess Emissions Events Board Report
The collected reports submitted by the facilities may be accessed through an open records request. A summary report of excess emissions events is produced each month for the Air Pollution Control Board and kept in the table below. Questions about the board reports may be sent to the APCD through this form.
2023
