Air Toxics Programs
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:
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reviewed for air toxics impacts since 1987, in accordance with the District’s Risk Management Policy (RMP); the RMP was superseded on July 1, 2005 by a new permit rule: Regulation 2, Rule 5: New Source Review of Toxic Air Contaminants.
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.
