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Organization: South Coast Air Quality Management District
Date: September 5, 2008
AQMD Strengthens Rules for Natural Gas-fired Boilers and Heaters
Southland air quality officials today approved two measures today that will
require thousands of natural gas-fired boilers, steam generators and heaters
operated by schools, hospitals, and industrial and commercial facilities
throughout the region to meet more stringent emission limits.
"All businesses and institutions need to do their fair share to clean up the
air," said William A. Burke, Ed.D., chairman of the South Coast Air Quality
Management District's Board. "Today's action is an example of how advanced
technologies will be utilized by facilities in our region to improve our air
quality."
AQMD today amended its rules 1146 and 1146.1 to further reduce nitrogen
oxide (NOx) emissions from large and small boilers, steam generators and
heaters operating in the Southland. The amendments will also improve
compliance by strengthening the monitoring requirements.
There are 1,150 facilities in the region operating more than 2,100 natural gas-
fired boilers, steam generators and heaters. Today's amendments are
expected to reduce NOx emissions by about 1.2 tons per day by 2016 for
larger units and 0.3 tons per day by 2015 for smaller units.
Boilers, steam generators and process heaters are basic units of commercial
and industrial facilities. Boilers and steam generators produce hot water or
steam for offices and a wide variety of other buildings. Process heaters are
used to heat materials in industrial facilities such as oil and water separation
in oil production fields.
Large and small natural gas-fired boilers, steam generators and heaters
throughout the Southland currently are required to meet a NOx emission limit
of 30 parts per million (ppm).
Beginning in January 2012, large and small natural gas-fired units will be
required to meet new, more stringent NOx emission limits ranging from 12 ppm
to 5 ppm, depending on size and type of unit. New emission limits will be
phased in over three to four years depending on the size of the unit.
Large and small landfill gas-fired and digester gas-fired units must meet new
NOx emission limits of 25 ppm and 15 ppm, respectively.
Today's amendments also call for compliance testing with portable analyzers
and recognition of energy-efficient units.
AQMD is the air pollution control agency for Orange County and major
portions of Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
