Test Drive Our New Site! We have some improvements in the works that we're excited for you to experience. Click here to try our new, faster, mobile friendly beta site. We will be maintaining our current version of the site thru the end of 2024, so you can switch back as our improvements continue.
Legislation Quick Search
08/08/2024 09:23 AM
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?SPick=20230&chamber=H&cosponId=42991
Share:
Home / House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda

House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda

Subscribe to PaLegis Notifications
NEW!

Subscribe to receive notifications of new Co-Sponsorship Memos circulated

By Member | By Date | Keyword Search


House of Representatives
Session of 2023 - 2024 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted: July 18, 2024 01:20 PM
From: Representative Jeanne McNeill and Rep. Zachary Mako
To: All House members
Subject: Opacity Monitor Legislation
 
Pennsylvania cement manufacturing plants that are regulated by the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Portland Cement Manufacturers (PC NESHAP) are required to have opacity monitors to calculate particulate matter emissions. In 2015, new EPA regulations for PC NESHAP went into effect, replacing the opacity limitations with new particulate matter (PM) emission limitations. These new regulations included a requirement for cement plants to demonstrate continuous compliance with the PM emission limit, by utilizing PM continuous parameter monitoring systems (CPMS).

 

CPMS are much more sensitive and provide a better indication of PM emissions than the opacity monitors in use at Pennsylvania cement plants before the regulatory change. While the more precise and sophisticated CPMS have been installed at all PA cement plants operating under PC NESHAP, Pennsylvania cement plants are still legally required to have opacity monitors. Since the 2015 regulations went into effect, other states have dropped the requirement for opacity monitors in favor of using only CPMS. These include the states of Maryland, Michigan, Illinois, Florida, Texas, Utah and South Dakota.

 

In the near future, we plan to introduce legislation that would give PA DEP the authority to follow the states listed above and to allow cement plants, regulated under PC NESHAP, to remove their opacity monitors and use solely CPMS.



Introduced as HB2530