The San Francisco Bay Area's
Air Toxics Program integrates federal and state air toxics mandates with
local goals that have been established by the Bay Area Air Quality Management
District's Board of Directors. The Program consists of several elements
that are designed to identify and reduce public exposure to toxic air
contaminants (TACs).
The three primary control programs
are:
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Preconstruction review of new and modified
sources
Under this program, proposed projects are reviewed for potential health
impacts, with the requirement that significant new/modified sources
use the Best Available Control Technology to minimize TAC emissions.
All applications for new or modified permits have been reviewed for
air toxics impacts since 1987, in accordance with the District’s
Risk Management Policy (RMP); the RMP was superseded on July 1, 2005
by a new permit rule: Regulation 2, Rule 5: New Source Review of Toxic
Air Contaminants.
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The Air Toxics "Hot Spots" program
This program is designed to identify industrial and commercial emitters
of toxic air contaminants and encourage reductions in these emissions.
Under this program, the District has established specific public notification
requirements for facilities at various levels of risk. The "Hot
Spots" Program also specifies that facilities with higher risk
levels must reduce their risks to below levels identified by the District
as "significant" within a certain time frame. Statewide
AB2588 guidelines have been adopted by the California Air Resources
Board for estimation of toxic emission inventories, facility prioritization,
health risk assessment, public notification and risk reduction.
-
Air pollution control measures
These are designed to reduce emissions from categories of sources
of TACs, including local District rules (Regulation 11, Hazardous
Pollutants), statewide Airborne Toxic Control Measures (ATCMs) originating
from the California Toxic Air Contaminant Act (AB 1807), and National
Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPs) promulgated
pursuant to the federal Clean Air Act.
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