SECTION 116.715. General and Special Conditions

(a) Flexible permits may contain general and special conditions. The holders of flexible permits shall comply with any and all such conditions.

(b) A pollutant specific emission cap or individual emission limitations shall be established for each air contaminant for all facilities authorized by the flexible permit. A flexible permit may contain more than one emission cap for a specific air contaminant. The holder of a flexible permit shall comply with all flexible permit emission cap(s) and individual emission limitations. An exceedance of the flexible permit emission cap(s) or individual emission limitations is a violation of the permit.

(c) The following general conditions shall be applicable to every flexible permit.

(1) Applicability. This section does not apply to physical or operational changes allowed without an amendment under §116.721 of this title (relating to Amendments and Alterations).

(2) Construction progress. The permit holder shall report the start of construction, construction interruptions exceeding 45 days, and completion of construction to the appropriate regional office of the commission not later than 15 working days after occurrence of the event.

(3) Start-up notification.

(A) The permit holder shall notify the appropriate regional office of the commission and any local program having jurisdiction prior to the commencement of operations of the facilities authorized by the permit in such a manner that a representative of the commission may be present.

(B) The permit holder shall provide a separate notification for the commencement of operations for each unit of phased construction, which may involve a series of facilities commencing operations at different times.

(C) Prior to beginning operations of the facilities authorized by the permit, the permit holder shall identify to the Air Permits Division the source or sources of allowances to be utilized for compliance with Chapter 101, Subchapter H, Division 3 of this title (relating to Mass Emissions Cap and Trade Program).

(4) Sampling requirements.

(A) If sampling is required, the flexible permit holder shall contact the commission's appropriate regional office prior to sampling to obtain the proper data forms and procedures.

(B) All sampling and testing procedures must be approved by the executive director and coordinated with the appropriate regional office of the commission.

(C) The flexible permit holder is also responsible for providing sampling facilities and conducting the sampling operations or contracting with an independent sampling consultant.

(5) Monitoring, Calculations, and Equivalency of Methods.

(A) Each flexible permit shall specify requirements for monitoring or demonstrating compliance with emission caps and individual emission limits in the flexible permit.

(B) Each flexible permit shall specify methods for calculating annual and short term emissions for each pollutant for a given type of facility.

(C) The flexible permit holder must demonstrate or otherwise justify the equivalency of emission control methods, sampling or other emission testing methods, and monitoring or calculation methods proposed as alternatives to methods indicated in the conditions of the flexible permit. Requests for alternative emission control, sampling, monitoring, or calculation methods must be submitted in writing for review and approval by the executive director prior to their use in fulfilling any requirements of the permit.

(6) Recordkeeping. The permit holder shall:

(A) maintain a copy of the flexible permit (and any permit applications associated with the flexible permit) along with information and data sufficient to demonstrate continuous compliance with the emission caps and individual emission limitations contained in the flexible permit. This information and data shall include, but is not limited to:

(i) emission cap and individual emission limitation calculations based on a 12-month rolling basis;

(ii) emission cap and individual emission limitation calculations corresponding to any short term emission limitation; and

(iii) Production records and operating hours.

(B) keep all required records in a file at the plant site. If, however, the facility site normally operates unattended, records must be maintained at an office within Texas having day-to-day operational control of the facility site;

(C) make the records available at the request of personnel from the commission or any local air pollution control agency having jurisdiction over the site, which, upon request, the commission shall make any such records of compliance available to the public in a timely manner;

(D) comply with any additional recordkeeping requirements specified in special conditions in the permit; and

(E) retain information in the file for at least two years following the date the information or data is obtained.

(7) Maximum allowable emission rates. A flexible permit covers only those sources of emissions and those air contaminants listed in the table entitled "Emission Sources, Emissions Caps and Individual Emission Limitations" in the flexible permit. Each flexible permitted facility, group of facilities, or account is limited to the emission limits and other conditions specified in the table in the flexible permit.

(8) Representations. The representations with regard to construction plans and operation procedures in an application for a permit or permit amendment are the conditions upon which a flexible permit or permit amendment is issued.

(9) Emission cap readjustment. If a schedule to install additional controls is included in the flexible permit and a facility subject to such a schedule is taken out of service, the emission cap contained in the flexible permit will be readjusted for the period the facility is out of service to a level as if no schedule had been established. Unless a special condition specifies the method of readjustment of the emission cap, a permit alteration shall be obtained.

(10) Maintenance of emission control. Each facility, group of facilities, or account authorized by the flexible permit shall not be operated unless all air pollution emission capture and abatement equipment is maintained in good working order and operating properly during normal facility operations. Notification for emissions events and scheduled maintenance shall be made in accordance with §101.201 and §101.211 of this title (relating to Emissions Event Reporting and Recordkeeping Requirements; and Scheduled Maintenance, Startup, and Shutdown Reporting and Recordkeeping Requirements).

(11) Compliance with rules. Acceptance of a flexible permit by a permit applicant constitutes an acknowledgment and agreement that the holder will comply with all applicable Rules and Orders of the commission issued in conformity with the Texas Clean Air Act and the conditions precedent to the granting of the permit. If more than one state or federal rule or regulation or flexible permit condition are applicable, then the most stringent limit or condition shall govern and be the standard by which compliance shall be demonstrated. Acceptance of the permit includes consent to the entrance of commission employees and agents into the permitted premises at reasonable times to investigate conditions relating to the emission or concentration of air contaminants, including compliance with the flexible permit.

(d) Each permit with emission caps must include special conditions that satisfy the following requirements for facilities subject to those caps. The monitoring system must accurately determine all emissions of the pollutants in terms of mass per unit of time. Any monitoring system authorized for use in the permit must be based on sound science and meet generally acceptable scientific procedures for data quality and manipulation. These requirements do not apply to facilities that are not subject to an emission cap.

(e) There may be additional special conditions included in a flexible permit upon issuance or amendment of the permit. Such conditions in a flexible permit may be more restrictive than the requirements of this title.

(f) The executive director may require as a special condition that the permit holder obtain written approval before constructing a source under a standard permit under Subchapter F of this chapter (relating to Standard Permits) or a permit by rule under Chapter 106 of this title. Such written approval may be required if the executive director specifically finds that an increase of a particular pollutant could either:

(1) result in a significant impact on the air environment, or

(2) cause the facility, group of facilities, or account to become subject to review under:

(A) Subchapter E of this chapter (relating to Hazardous Air Pollutants: Regulations Governing Constructed or Reconstructed Major Sources (FCAA, §112(g), 40 CFR Part 63)); or

(B) the provisions in Subchapter B, Divisions 5 and 6 of this chapter (relating to Nonattainment Review Permits; and Prevention of Significant Deterioration Review, respectively).

Source Note: The provisions of this §116.715 adopted to be effective December 8, 1994, 19 TexReg 9360; amended to be effective July 8, 1998, 23 TexReg 6973; amended to be effective September 4, 2000, 25 TexReg 8668; amended to be effective March 29, 2001, 26 TexReg 2398; amended to be effective September 12, 2002, 27 TexReg 8546; amended to be effective September 14, 2003, 28 TexReg 7763; amended to be effective January 6, 2011, 35 TexReg 11909; amended to be effective July 31, 2014, 39 TexReg 5777