Compliance with standards and maintenance requirements.

§ 63.6 Compliance with standards and maintenance requirements.

(a) Applicability. (1) The requirements in this section apply to the owner or operator of affected sources for which any relevant standard has been established pursuant to section 112 of the Act and the applicability of such requirements is set out in accordance with § 63.1(a)(4) unless—

(i) The Administrator (or a State with an approved permit program) has granted an extension of compliance consistent with paragraph (i) of this section; or

(ii) The President has granted an exemption from compliance with any relevant standard in accordance with section 112(i)(4) of the Act.

(2) If an area source that otherwise would be subject to an emission standard or other requirement established under this part if it were a major source subsequently increases its emissions of hazardous air pollutants (or its potential to emit hazardous air pollutants) such that the source is a major source, such source shall be subject to the relevant emission standard or other requirement.

(b) Compliance dates for new and reconstructed sources. (1) Except as specified in paragraphs (b)(3) and (4) of this section, the owner or operator of a new or reconstructed affected source for which construction or reconstruction commences after proposal of a relevant standard that has an initial startup before the effective date of a relevant standard established under this part pursuant to section 112(d), (f), or (h) of the Act must comply with such standard not later than the standard's effective date.

(2) Except as specified in paragraphs (b)(3) and (4) of this section, the owner or operator of a new or reconstructed affected source that has an initial startup after the effective date of a relevant standard established under this part pursuant to section 112(d), (f), or (h) of the Act must comply with such standard upon startup of the source.

(3) The owner or operator of an affected source for which construction or reconstruction is commenced after the proposal date of a relevant standard established under this part pursuant to section 112(d), 112(f), or 112(h) of the Act but before the effective date (that is, promulgation) of such standard shall comply with the relevant emission standard not later than the date 3 years after the effective date if:

(i) The promulgated standard (that is, the relevant standard) is more stringent than the proposed standard; for purposes of this paragraph, a finding that controls or compliance methods are “more stringent” must include control technologies or performance criteria and compliance or compliance assurance methods that are different but are substantially equivalent to those required by the promulgated rule, as determined by the Administrator (or his or her authorized representative); and

(ii) The owner or operator complies with the standard as proposed during the 3-year period immediately after the effective date.

(4) The owner or operator of an affected source for which construction or reconstruction is commenced after the proposal date of a relevant standard established pursuant to section 112(d) of the Act but before the proposal date of a relevant standard established pursuant to section 112(f) shall not be required to comply with the section 112(f) emission standard until the date 10 years after the date construction or reconstruction is commenced, except that, if the section 112(f) standard is promulgated more than 10 years after construction or reconstruction is commenced, the owner or operator must comply with the standard as provided in paragraphs (b)(1) and (2) of this section.

(5) The owner or operator of a new source that is subject to the compliance requirements of paragraph (b)(3) or (4) of this section must notify the Administrator in accordance with § 63.9(d)

(6) [Reserved]

(7) When an area source increases its emissions of (or its potential to emit) hazardous air pollutants such that the source becomes a major source, the portion of the facility that meets the definition of a new affected source must comply with all requirements of that standard applicable to new sources. The source owner or operator must comply with the relevant standard upon startup.

(c) Compliance dates for existing sources. (1) After the effective date of a relevant standard established under this part pursuant to section 112(d) or 112(h) of the Act, the owner or operator of an existing source shall comply with such standard by the compliance date established by the Administrator in the applicable subpart(s) of this part, except as provided in § 63.1(c)(6)(i). Except as otherwise provided for in section 112 of the Act, in no case will the compliance date established for an existing source in an applicable subpart of this part exceed 3 years after the effective date of such standard.

(2) If an existing source is subject to a standard established under this part pursuant to section 112(f) of the Act, the owner or operator must comply with the standard by the date 90 days after the standard's effective date, or by the date specified in an extension granted to the source by the Administrator under paragraph (i)(4)(ii) of this section, whichever is later.

(3)-(4) [Reserved]

(5) Except as provided in paragraph (b)(7) of this section, the owner or operator of an area source that increases its emissions of (or its potential to emit) hazardous air pollutants such that the source becomes a major source and meets the definition of an existing source in the applicable major source standard shall be subject to relevant standards for existing sources. Except as provided in paragraph § 63.1(c)(6)(i)(B), such sources must comply by the date specified in the standards for existing area sources that become major sources. If no such compliance date is specified in the standards, the source shall have a period of time to comply with the relevant emission standard that is equivalent to the compliance period specified in the relevant standard for existing sources in existence at the time the standard becomes effective.

(d) [Reserved]

(e) Operation and maintenance requirements. (1)(i) At all times, including periods of startup, shutdown, and malfunction, the owner or operator must operate and maintain any affected source, including associated air pollution control equipment and monitoring equipment, in a manner consistent with safety and good air pollution control practices for minimizing emissions. During a period of startup, shutdown, or malfunction, this general duty to minimize emissions requires that the owner or operator reduce emissions from the affected source to the greatest extent which is consistent with safety and good air pollution control practices. The general duty to minimize emissions during a period of startup, shutdown, or malfunction does not require the owner or operator to achieve emission levels that would be required by the applicable standard at other times if this is not consistent with safety and good air pollution control practices, nor does it require the owner or operator to make any further efforts to reduce emissions if levels required by the applicable standard have been achieved. Determination of whether such operation and maintenance procedures are being used will be based on information available to the Administrator which may include, but is not limited to, monitoring results, review of operation and maintenance procedures (including the startup, shutdown, and malfunction plan required in paragraph (e)(3) of this section), review of operation and maintenance records, and inspection of the source.

(ii) Malfunctions must be corrected as soon as practicable after their occurrence. To the extent that an unexpected event arises during a startup, shutdown, or malfunction, an owner or operator must comply by minimizing emissions during such a startup, shutdown, and malfunction event consistent with safety and good air pollution control practices.

(iii) Operation and maintenance requirements established pursuant to section 112 of the Act are enforceable independent of emissions limitations or other requirements in relevant standards.

(2) [Reserved]

(3) Startup, shutdown, and malfunction plan. (i) The owner or operator of an affected source must develop a written startup, shutdown, and malfunction plan that describes, in detail, procedures for operating and maintaining the source during periods of startup, shutdown, and malfunction; and a program of corrective action for malfunctioning process, air pollution control, and monitoring equipment used to comply with the relevant standard. The startup, shutdown, and malfunction plan does not need to address any scenario that would not cause the source to exceed an applicable emission limitation in the relevant standard. This plan must be developed by the owner or operator by the source's compliance date for that relevant standard. The purpose of the startup, shutdown, and malfunction plan is to—

(A) Ensure that, at all times, the owner or operator operates and maintains each affected source, including associated air pollution control and monitoring equipment, in a manner which satisfies the general duty to minimize emissions established by paragraph (e)(1)(i) of this section;

(B) Ensure that owners or operators are prepared to correct malfunctions as soon as practicable after their occurrence in order to minimize excess emissions of hazardous air pollutants; and

(C) Reduce the reporting burden associated with periods of startup, shutdown, and malfunction (including corrective action taken to restore malfunctioning process and air pollution control equipment to its normal or usual manner of operation).

(ii) [Reserved]

(iii) When actions taken by the owner or operator during a startup or shutdown (and the startup or shutdown causes the source to exceed any applicable emission limitation in the relevant emission standards), or malfunction (including actions taken to correct a malfunction) are consistent with the procedures specified in the affected source's startup, shutdown, and malfunction plan, the owner or operator must keep records for that event which demonstrate that the procedures specified in the plan were followed. These records may take the form of a “checklist,” or other effective form of recordkeeping that confirms conformance with the startup, shutdown, and malfunction plan and describes the actions taken for that event. In addition, the owner or operator must keep records of these events as specified in paragraph 63.10(b), including records of the occurrence and duration of each startup or shutdown (if the startup or shutdown causes the source to exceed any applicable emission limitation in the relevant emission standards), or malfunction of operation and each malfunction of the air pollution control and monitoring equipment. Furthermore, the owner or operator shall confirm that actions taken during the relevant reporting period during periods of startup, shutdown, and malfunction were consistent with the affected source's startup, shutdown and malfunction plan in the semiannual (or more frequent) startup, shutdown, and malfunction report required in § 63.10(d)(5).

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