ok-2922: Department of Environmental Quality — Air Pollution Control

Summary

The Department of Environmental Quality (Department or DEQ) is proposing to amend multiple rules (Subchapters 1, 3, 7, 8, 19, 23, 24, 25, and 35) and revoke two appendices (Appendices E and F) to ensure accuracy and consistency of terminology and standards throughout Chapter 100. The intent of this rulemaking is to ensure that references to the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) are up to date, consistent, and accurate. This rulemaking’s original purpose was to address the NAAQS in Subchapter 3, Appendix E, and Appendix F by replacing the written standards with a direct reference and citation to federal standards. The table of primary and secondary NAAQS, Appendices E and F respectively, was a beneficial resource in the past, but now it has become a cumbersome process to maintain consistency with federal standards. With today’s technology the federal NAAQS are easier to access on the internet rather than searching outdated state rules which validates the obsolescence of Appendices E and F. In addition, there were multiple inconsistencies in the language that became apparent throughout Chapter 100. The terminology for NAAQS was not consistent in Subchapters 1, 3, 7, 8, 23, and 35. The word “Advisory” was missing from multiple mentions of the “Air Quality Advisory Council” in Subchapters 23, 24, and 25 which is an outdated title. The format of the two sizes of Particulate Matter (PM) was inconsistent; instead of the numerical subscript there were mentions of “PM-10” and “PM-2.5” in Subchapters 8, 19, 23, 24, and 25. Lastly, there was a typo in OAC 252:100-8-73 where a space was missing between two words. The final collection of proposed amendments reflects a long-needed cleanup in which outdated terms and formatting are updated to be in line with newer rules and accurate language. The gist of this rulemaking action and the purpose of the proposed rules is to ensure the federal standards are reflected accurately and to standardize terminology regarding such standards.

The agency’s own summary, as published.