Nebraska Administrative Code
Topic - ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY
Title 129 - AIR QUALITY REGULATIONS
Chapter 15 - COMPLIANCE
Section 129-15-005 - Emission Sources; Testing; Monitoring

Current through March 20, 2024

005.01 The Department may require any person responsible for the operation of an emission source to make or have tests made to determine the rate of contaminant emissions from the source whenever it has reason to believe on the basis of estimates of potential contaminant emissions rates from the source and due consideration of probable efficiency of any existing control device, or visible emission determinations made by an official observer, that existing emissions exceed the limitations required in these control regulations. Such tests may also be required pursuant to verifying that any newly installed control device meets performance specifications. Should the Department determine that the test did not represent normal operating conditions or emissions, additional tests may be required.

005.02 Required tests will be conducted in accordance with the following test methods and procedures, as applicable. Administrator, as used in the following appendices, means Administrator of EPA.

005.02A 40 CFR Part 51, Appendix M

005.02B 40 CFR Part 60, Appendices A,B,C,F.

005.02C 40 CFR Part 61, Appendix B.

005.02D 40 CFR Part 63, Appendix A.

005.02E 40 CFR Part 266, Appendix IX.

005.02F Test Methods for Evaluating Solid Waste, Physical/Chemical Methods, EPA Publication SW-846 (3rd Edition) (November 1986) and its Updates I, II, IIA, IIB, III, IIIA, IIIB, IVA, IVB, V, and VI.

005.02G Such tests will be conducted by qualified individuals. A certified written copy of the test results signed by the person conducting the test will be provided to the Department within 60 days of completion of the test unless a different period is specified in the underlying requirements of an applicable federal regulation.

005.03 The owner or operator of a source will provide the Department 30 days notice prior to testing to afford the Department an opportunity to have an observer present. The Department may, in writing, approve a notice of less than 30 days. If the testing is pursuant to an underlying requirement contained in a federal regulation, the notice provisions of the underlying regulation apply.

005.04 The Department may conduct tests of emissions of contaminants from any stationary source.

005.04A Upon written request from the Department, the person responsible for the source to be tested will provide the Department with all necessary test ports in stacks or ducts and such other safe and proper facilities, exclusive of instruments and sensing devices, as may be reasonably necessary to conduct the test with due regard being given to expenditures and possible disruption of normal operations of the source.

005.04B A report concerning the findings of such tests will be furnished to the person responsible for the source upon request.

005.05 A continuous monitoring system for the measurement of opacity will be installed and placed in operation by the owner or operator of any fossil fuel-fired steam generator with greater than 250 million BTUs per hour heat input. Exemptions from this requirement will be made if gaseous fuel and oil is the only fuel burned and the source has never been out of compliance with Section 001 of this Chapter. Installation, calibration, operation and reporting will be in accordance with the procedures specified in 40 CFR Part 60. Administrator, as used in 40 CFR Part 60, means Administrator of EPA.

005.06 The Director may require the owner or operator of any other emission source which is subject to the provisions of these regulations to install, use and maintain such monitoring equipment as is necessary to demonstrate continuing compliance with any applicable emissions limitations, and to maintain records and make reports regarding such measured emissions to the Department in a manner and on a schedule to be determined by the Director.

005.07 When a new or modified stationary source becomes operational, the owner or operator will conduct performance tests, if required, within 60 days after reaching maximum capacity but not later than 180 days after the start-up of operations. Failure to meet established performance standards will result in withdrawal of the provisional approval granted to operate the new or modified stationary source. Final approval and issuance of an operating permit will be withheld for operation of the affected facility until such time as the owner or operator has corrected the deficiencies determined by the performance tests. Upon satisfactory accomplishment of a valid series of performance tests, approval for operation of the new or modified stationary source will be granted through issuance of an operating permit in accordance with Chapter 6.

005.08 Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Title, the following methods may be used to determine compliance with applicable requirements:

005.08A A monitoring method approved for the source and incorporated in an operating permit pursuant to Chapter 6;

005.08B Any compliance test method specified in the State Implementation Plan;

005.08C Any test or monitoring method approved for the source in a permit issued pursuant to Chapters 3, 4, 12, or 13;

005.08D Any test or monitoring method provided for in this Title; or

005.08E Any other test, monitoring, or information-gathering method that produces information comparable to that produced by any method described in Sections 005.08A through 005.08D.

005.09 Predictive Emissions Monitoring System (PEMS) requirements. Where allowed by the Department, the owner or operator of any PEMS used to meet a pollutant monitoring requirement will comply with the following:

005.09A The PEMS will predict the pollutant emissions in the units of the applicable emission limitations.

005.09B Monitor diluent, either O2 or CO2 when applicable:
005.09B1 Using a CEMS:
005.09B1(a) In accordance with 40 CFR Part 60 Appendix B, Performance Specification 3 for diluent; or

005.09B1(b) With a similar alternative method approved by the Director and EPA; or

005.09B2 Using a PEMS with a method approved by the Director and EPA.

005.09C Any PEMS will meet the requirements of 40 CFR Part 75, Subpart E except as provided in Section 005.09E.

005.09D The owner or operator of any PEMS installed subsequent to adoption of Section 005.09E will perform the following initial certification procedures:
005.09D1 Conduct initial Relative Accuracy Test Audit (RATA) at low, medium, and high operating levels using 40 CFR Part 60, Appendix B:
005.09D1(a) Performance Specification 2, Subsection 8.4 (pertaining to NOx) in terms of the applicable standard (in ppmv, lb/MMBtu, or g/hp-hr). except the relative accuracy will be 10%, or within 2 ppm absolute difference;

005.09D1(b) Performance Specification 3, Subsections 8 and 13.2 (pertaining to O2 or CO2); and

005.09D1(c) Performance Specification 4, Subsections 8 and 13.2 (pertaining to CO), for owners or operators electing to use a CO PEMS; and

005.09D2 Conduct a t-test, an F-test, and a correlation analysis using 40 CFR Part 75, Appendix A, Section 7.6 and Section 75.41(c)(1) and (2) at low, medium, and high load levels.
005.09D2(a) Calculations will be based on a minimum of 27 successive emission data points at each tested level which are at least seven-minute averages;

005.09D2(b) The t-test and the correlation analysis will be performed using all data collected at the three tested levels;

005.09D2(c) The correlation analysis may be waived following review of the waiver request submittal if:
(a) The process design is such that it is technically impossible to vary the process to result in a concentration change sufficient to allow a successful correlation analysis statistical test. Any waiver request will also be accompanied with documentation of the reference method measured concentration. The waiver is to be based on the measured value at the time of the waiver. Should a subsequent RATA effort identify a change in the reference method measured value by more than 30%, the statistical test must be repeated at the next RATA effort to verify the successful compliance with the correlation analysis statistical test requirement; or

(b) The data for a measured compound (e.g., NOx, O2) are determined to be auto-correlated according to the procedures of 40 CFR Part 75.41(b)(2). A complete analysis of autocorrelation with support information will be submitted with the request for waiver. The statistical test will be repeated at the next RATA effort to verify the successful compliance with the correlation analysis statistical test requirement.

005.09D2(d) Allowable Test Adjustments.
(a) For either NOxor CO and for the purpose of conducting an f-test, if the standard deviation of the EPA reference method is less than either 3% of the span or five parts per million (ppm), use an EPA reference method standard deviation of either five ppm or 3% of span.

(b) For the diluent CO2 or O2, and for the purpose of conducting an f-test, if the standard deviation of the reference method is less than 3% of span, use an EPA reference method standard deviation of 3% of span.

(c) For either NOx or CO and at any one test level, if the mean value of the EPA reference method is less than either ten ppm or 5% of the standard, all statistical tests are waived for that emission parameter at that specific test level.

(d) For the diluent O2 or CO2 and at any one test level, if the mean value of the reference method is less than 3% of span, all statistical tests are waived for that diluent parameter at that specific test level.

005.09D3 All requests for waivers will be submitted to the Department for review and approval. The Director will approve or deny each waiver request;

005.09D4 The owner or operator will, for each alternative fuel fired in a unit, certify the PEMS in accordance with Sections 005.09D1 or 005.09D2 unless the alternative fuel effects on NOx, CO, and O2 (or CO2) emissions were addressed in the model training process.

005.09D5 The PEMS will be subject to the approval of the Director.

005.09E The owner or operator may vary from sections 005.09C or 005.09D if the owner or operator:
005.09E1 Demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Director that the alternative is substantially equivalent to the requirements; or

005.09E2 Demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Director that the requirement is not applicable.

005.10 Applying for Approval of a PEMs System.

005.10A Approval to use PEMS will be limited to the specific unit and fuel type for which certification testing was conducted. Any future change in the type or composition of the fuel, or combustion characteristics of the boiler, will require that the PEMS be recertified, unless the PEMS was initially constructed to account for different fuel types and/or compositions. In this case, fuel switching would be permitted without recertification. Owners or operators may attempt to justify that a slight change in fuel composition does not affect emissions and the PEMS does not need be recertified. The approval of such justification will be determined by the Director.

005.10B Owners or operators will submit the following information in the application for certification or recertification of a predictive emissions monitoring system:
005.10B1 Source identification information including unit description, heat rate, and fuel type.

005.10B2 A general description of the software and hardware components of the PEMS including manufacturer, type of computer, name(s) of software product(s), and monitoring technique. Manufacturer literature and other similar information will also be submitted, as appropriate.

005.10B3 A detailed description of the predictive emissions monitoring system. Identify all operational parameters or ambient conditions which are determined to have an effect on the predicted emissions. If the PEMS is developed on the basis of physical principles, identify any specific physical assumptions or mathematical manipulations made that justify suitability of the model. If the PEMS is developed on the basis of linear or nonlinear regression analysis, submit the paired raw data used in developing or training the model and specifically identify the tested operating range for every input parameter and the number of data points used in the development of the model.

005.10B4 A detailed description of the hardware CEMS or the reference method used during the testing period.

005.10B5 Data collection procedures including location of the sampling probe and methods to ensure accurate representativeness of emissions being measured.

005.10B6 A detailed description of all PEMS operation, maintenance, and quality assurance and control procedures to be implemented.

005.10B7 Identification of all sensors pertaining to the PEMS and a detailed description of the sensor validation procedure and calibration frequency for each sensor.

005.10B8 Description of monitor reliability, accessibility, and timeliness analysis from Section 005.11.

005.10B9 A description of the method used to calculate heat input, if applicable.

005.10B10 Data, calculations, and results of the RATA test and the statistical tests performed at all three loads and fuel types as listed under 40 CFR § 75.48(a)(3).

005.10B11 Data plots as specified in 40 CFR § 75.41(a)(9) and 75.41(c)(2)(i).

005.10B12 A summary of all results and calculations which demonstrates that PEMS is equivalent in performance to that of the certified hardware CEMS or EPA reference method.

005.11 Quality Assurance Procedure for PEMS. The owner or operator will develop and implement a quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) manual for the PEMS and its components. The manual should include daily, quarterly, and semiannual or annual assessment procedures or operations to ensure continuous and reliable performance of the PEMS. The QA/QC manual should also include a ready and detailed specific corrective action plan that can be executed at times when the monitoring systems are inoperative. The QA/QC manual will be placed in a readily accessible location on the plant site. Owners or operators will assign the responsibility of implementing the QA/QC manual to designated employees and will ensure at all times that these employees have the technical and practical training needed to execute this plan.

005.11A Daily Assessment. Identify any specific steps, measures, or maintenance plans that can be taken to ensure proper functioning of the monitoring systems. Develop a plan to detect any thermocouple, flow monitoring, and sensor failures. If the PEMS is developed to operate in a specific operating range, develop a plan that will ensure continuous operation within the specified operating range. It is the responsibility of the owner or operator to make sure that the model is trained over a wide range of operating parameters. Operation outside any of the operating ranges will be considered monitor downtime.

005.11B Quarterly Assessment. The owner or operator will develop and implement a plan that will ensure proper accuracy and calibration of all operational parameters that affect emissions and serve as input to the predictive monitoring system. All sensors will be calibrated as often as needed but never to exceed the time recommended by the manufacturers, for the specific applications these sensors are being used.

005.11C Semiannual or Annual Assessment. Following initial RATA, conduct RATA semiannually, pursuant to 005.09D1, at normal load operations, for each unit. If the relative accuracy for the initial or most recent audit for the NOx, CO, CO2, (or O2) monitors is 7.5 percent or less, subsequent RATA may be performed on an annual basis.

005.12 PEMS Partial Certification. In certain cases, the owner or operator may not be able to adjust all of the parameters of the model over the entire desired range of operation at one time. In this case, the owner or operator may certify the PEMS in a restricted range of operation in accordance with the PEMS certification procedure.

005.12A If, at a later date, the owner or operator wishes to operate outside the demonstrated range of the certified PEMS, the owner or operator may extend the demonstrated range by certifying at a new range within 60 days of cumulative operation of the parameter at that range.

005.13 Monitor downtime periods for PEMS include the following:

005.13A Operating out of range of any operational parameters that affect NOx.

005.13B One or more sensor failures.

005.13C Uncertified fuel switching or fuel composition changes unless approved.

005.13D Failing the RATA or any applicable statistical tests. If a PEMS fails the RATA or statistical tests, downtime is the time corresponding to the completion of the sampling that results in the failure, until the time corresponding to the completion of the subsequent successful sampling.

005.13E Failure of any quality assurance procedure specified in accordance with 005.11.

005.13F Failure to complete a minimum of one cycle of operation (sampling, analyzing and data recording) for each successive 15 minute period of emission unit operation.

005.14 PEMS Adjustments and Tuning. Adjustments and tuning are permissible provided that the date, reasons, and details of the PEMS adjustments are documented, submitted to the Department and the documentation placed in an accessible location on the plant site, suitable for inspection by the Department at any time, sufficient to identify that the PEMS for any unit has been inspected, the occurrence of the last PEMS adjustment, and the last RATA performed for that unit. The PEMS will be retrained on an augmented set of data which includes the set of data used for training the model prior to adjustment and the newly collected set of data needed for adjustment of the model. When PEMS retraining is performed within the demonstrated range of certification, no RATA testing is required. No tampering with the PEMS is allowed during periods when no PEMS adjustments or tuning are being performed.

005.15 Notification, recordkeeping, and reporting. Owners or operators using predictive emissions monitoring systems will maintain for each unit a file of all measurements, data, reports, and other information in a form suitable for inspection for at least five years from the date of each record.

005.15A Notification.
005.15A1 The owner or operator will submit written notification to the Department in accordance with this Chapter of the date of any predictive emissions monitoring system (PEMS) relative accuracy test audit (RATA).

005.15A2 The owner or operator will submit to the Department a copy of results of any PEMS RATA and statistical testing conducted in accordance with Section 005.11C.

005.15B Recordkeeping. The owner or operator will maintain written or electronic records of the data specified below. Such records will be kept for a period of at least five years and will be made available upon request by authorized representatives of the Department or EPA. The PEMs monitoring records will include:
005.15B1 Hourly emissions in units of the standard and fuel usage (or stack exhaust flow).

005.15B2 Records to verify minimum data collection requirement of one cycle of operation (sampling, analyzing and data recording) for each successive 15 minute period of emission unit operation.

005.15B3 Pounds per million British thermal units (lb/MMBtu) heat input.

005.15B4 Detailed records of any daily, quarterly, and semiannual or annual quality assurance programs or monitoring plans.

005.15B5 Compliance with the applicable recordkeeping requirements of 40 CFR § 75.57 (d) and (e).

005.15B6 Compliance with the certification, quality assurance and quality control record provisions of 40 CFR § 75.59 (a)(5), (6), and (7).

005.15C Reporting. The owner or operator of a unit approved to utilize a PEMS for demonstrating continuous compliance, will report in writing to the Department on a quarterly basis the monitoring system performance and any exceedance of the applicable emission standard. All reports will be certified by a responsible official and received by Department on or before the 30th day following the end of each calendar quarter. Written reports will include the following information:
005.15C1 The magnitude of excess emissions computed in accordance with 40 CFR § 60.13(h), any conversion factors used, the date and time of commencement and completion of each time period of excess emissions, and the unit operating time during the reporting period;

005.15C2 Specific identification of each period of excess emissions that occurs during start-ups, shutdowns, and malfunctions of the affected unit, the nature and cause of any malfunction (if known), and the corrective action taken or preventative measures adopted;

005.15C3 The date and time identifying each period during which the continuous monitoring system was inoperative or down as described in Section 005.13 and the nature of the system repairs or adjustments;

005.15C4 The results of any quality assurance assessments conducted during the quarter;

005.15C5 When no excess emissions have occurred or the continuous monitoring system has not been inoperative, repaired, or adjusted, such information will be stated in the report.

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