§ 98.324 Monitoring and QA/QC requirements.
(a) For calendar year 2011 monitoring, the facility may submit a request to the Administrator to use one or more best available monitoring methods as listed in § 98.3(d)(1)(i) through (iv). The request must be submitted no later than October 12, 2010 and must contain the information in § 98.3(d)(2)(ii). To obtain approval, the request must demonstrate to the Administrator's satisfaction that it is not reasonably feasible to acquire, install, and operate a required piece of monitoring equipment by January 1, 2011. The use of best available monitoring methods will not be approved beyond December 31, 2011.
(b) For CH4 liberated from ventilation systems, determine whether CH4 will be monitored from each ventilation shaft and vent hole, from a centralized monitoring point, or from a combination of the two options. Operators are allowed flexibility for aggregating emissions from more than one ventilation point, as long as emissions from all are addressed, and the methodology for calculating total emissions documented. Monitor by one of the following options:
(1) Collect quarterly or more frequent grab samples (with no fewer than 6 weeks between measurements) for methane concentration and make quarterly measurements of flow rate, temperature, pressure, and, if applicable, moisture content. The sampling and measurements must be made at the same locations as Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) inspection samples are taken, and should be taken when the mine is operating under normal conditions. You must follow MSHA sampling procedures as set forth in the MSHA Handbook entitled, Coal Mine Safety and Health General Inspection Procedures Handbook, Handbook Number: PH16-V-1 (incorporated by reference, see § 98.7). You must record the date of sampling, flow, temperature, pressure, and moisture measurements, the methane concentration (percent), the bottle number of samples collected, and the location of the measurement or collection.
(2) Obtain results of the quarterly (or more frequent) testing performed by MSHA for the methane flowrate. At the same location and within seven days of the MSHA sampling, make measurements of temperature and pressure using the same procedures specified in paragraph (b)(1) of this section. The annual average barometric pressure from the nearest National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather service station may be used as a default for pressure. If the MSHA data for methane flow is provided in the units of actual cubic feet of methane per day, the methane flow data is inserted into Equation FF-1 of this section in place of the value for V and the variables MCF, C/100%, and 1440 are removed from the equation.