The Clean Air Act requires EPA to establish emission standards for certain categories, or subcategories, of major and area sources of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs). 

Pennsylvania DEP received delegation from EPA for certain NESHAPs that affect small businesses which includes:

• Subpart M – Perchloroethylene Dry Cleaners
• Subpart N – Chromium Electroplaters
• Subpart T – Halogenated Solvent Degreasers

Pennsylvania DEP has compiled a list of resources and publications related to open burning and its impacts on air quality. 

Small businesses should note the use of Outdoor Wood Fire Boilers and the Open Burning Model Ordinance. 

Often at times, small businesses may be required to do stack testing for particular pieces of operational equipment (such as boilers or diesel engines) or pollution control equipment (catalytic converters, air scrubbers, dust control, etc.) to verify compliance with air quality permit conditions and compliance status. 

DEP’s Source Testing section contains relevant information on how testing should be conducted and how results should be reported.

Small businesses and independent contractors often have questions related to regulations for the removal, collection, transportation, and disposal of asbestos and asbestos-containing materials.

Here are some asbestos resources to note:

• Pennsylvania DEP Asbestos Information
• PA DEP “Understanding Asbestos” fact sheet
• EPA Asbestos
  

• City of Philadelphia Asbestos documents and forms

Lead based paint and lead dust are often environmental and air quality issues that small businesses may encounter.

EPA Resources:

• Small Entity Compliance Guide to Renovate Right – EPA’s Lead-based Paint Renovation, Repair and Painting Program handbook
• EPA Resource page for Lead

City of Philadelphia:

• Lead and Healthy Homes resources for landlords website
• Rental Property Lead Certification Law site
  
• Submit Lead Certification and Inspection Reports.

According to the Pennsylvania Code Chapter 123.41, a person (or small business operation) may not produce visible emissions in such a manner that the opacity of the emissions is either one of the following:

• Equal to, or greater than, 20% for a period(s) lasting more than 3 minutes in any 1 hour.
• Equal to, or greater than, 60% at any time.

Visible emissions from small business facilities and operations quite often trigger a neighbor complaint which may result in a DEP inspection.

According to the Pennsylvania Code Chapter 123.31, a person (or small business operation) may not produce airborne malodor contaminants from any source in such a way that the odor emissions are detectable outside the property of the small business facility whose land the source is being operated.

Quite often, these malodors will often trigger a neighbor complaint which may result in a DEP inspection at your small business facility and operation.