This the Air Quality Permit Exemptions document by Pennsylvania DEP provides criteria for sources and physical changes to sources determined to be eligible for air quality permitting exemptions as sources of minor significance.
The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is responsible for implementing a number of Pennsylvania laws which have components relating to emergency response, including the Pennsylvania Oil and Gas Act, the Air Pollution Control Act, the Dam Safety and Encroachments Act, the Explosives Act, the Radiation Protection Act, various mining laws, the Clean Streams Law, the Solid Waste Management Act, the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Act, the Pennsylvania Safe Drinking Water Act, and the Storage Tank Management and Spill Prevention Act. DEP’s authorities relative to emergency response to hazardous materials are most clearly delineated in the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Act (HSCA).
Three major laws require DEP to be notified of a spill or release of material to the environment:
The Pennsylvania Clean Streams Law regulations require that when any pollutant is discharged into surface or groundwater, including sewers, drains and ditches, the person spilling the substance or the person owning the premises from which the substance is spilled must notify the Department immediately. Note that there is no reportable quantity, that the requirement includes groundwater, and practically all substances are reportable.
The Solid Waste Act requires the generator or the transporter to notify the Department immediately if there is a spill of a hazardous waste which affects surface water or groundwater regardless of amount. If there is no effect on water, quantities spilled in excess of a reportable quantity (RQ) must be reported. While the state RQs are fairly complex, it is a conservative assumption to say that all spills of hazardous wastes above five gallons must be reported.
The Pennsylvania Storage Tank Act requires releases from underground and aboveground storage tanks be reported to the Department by the owner/operator.
CLICK HERE for the Emergency Response Contact Numbers for DEP to Report an Environmental Incident.
CLICK HERE for EPCRA Requirements
The National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for Area Sources under 40 CFR Part 63 Subpart HHHHHH (6H) applies to operations involving paint stripping and miscellaneous surface coating operations. The 6H rule applies to any of the following activities:
Paint stripping using paint stripper containing methylene chloride
Spary applications of coatings to metal or plastic substrates with coatings containing compounds of chromium, lead, maganese, nickel, or cadmium.
To help reduce air toxics and protect employee health, EPA created a Collision Repair Campaign and even produced a free 19-minute training video starring NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon to inform small shop owners about the paint stripping rule, worker protection, and best practices.
For Pennsylvania small businesses in the automotive industry sector, be sure to check out EMAP’s information on Air Permitting and Surface Coating Operations.
Automotive operations often generate muncipal, residual, and hazardous wastes from automotive fluids handling, the recycling or salvaging of auto parts, and vehicle crushing operations.
In Pennsylvania, small automotive operations should review DEP’s fact sheet on “Proper Management of Wastes from Automotive Recycling Operations” to better understand how to properly manage wastes onsite. In addition, Pennsylvania DEP maintains a Waste Oil Program with information and requirements that apply for used motor oil, oil filters, and oil collection sites.
All automotive operations in Pennsylvania must manage their operations and property correctly to prevent fluids and waste materials from being exposed to the weather.
In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, DEP requires all operations to either submit a No Exposure Certification or obtain a permit for Industrial Stormwater. To better help the regulated community understand industrial stormwater permitting and the No Exposure Certification, DEP has created an FAQ document on the subject.
For over 50 years, PARTS has represented the interests of quality professional automotive recyclers across Pennsylvania. PARTS provides services and programs designed to help automotive recyclers succeed in the marketplace.
The mission of CCAR is to provide consistent and compliant Safety, Pollution Prevention, and HazMat training, as well as Education and Environmental best practices for the global motor vehicle industry.
The ECAR Center is a “one-stop shop” for all automotive dismantling and recycling operations and provides comprehensive and up-to-date environmental compliance assistance.
Jeremy Hancher
Jeremy Hancher is the EMAP Program Manager located at the Widener University SBDC. He holds over 15 years of experience in environmental compliance, environmental policy, and program management. He is proud to be the team lead of the award-winning EMAP program which provides free and confidential environmental assistance to the Pennsylvania small business community in fulfillment of the requirements of the Pennsylvania Air Pollution Control Act and Section 507 of the federal Clean Air Act.
In 2015, Jeremy was part of the team effort when EMAP was recognized by US EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy for Outstanding Accomplishments by a State Small Business Environmental Assistance Provider in Providing Technical Environmental Assistance to the Small Business Community. Jeremy holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh, a Master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and a certificate from the Wharton School.
