Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District (SMAQMD)
The Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District regulates air quality in Sacramento County as well as partial counties of El Dorado, Placer, Solano, Sutter and Yolo.
The region is designated as Serious nonattainment for ozone under the 2008 and 2015 National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), and Moderate nonattainment for PM2.5 under the 2012 standard.
Under federal nonattainment New Source Review (NSR) requirements, new or modified major stationary sources of ozone precursors—nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOC)—must obtain Emission Reduction Credits (ERCs) to offset proposed increases. For a Serious nonattainment classification, the required offset ratio is 1.2 to 1. For example, if a new project emits 100 tons per year (tpy) of NOx, it must obtain 120 tpy of NOx ERCs.
| Pollutant | New Major Source Emission Rates | Major Modification to existing Source |
|---|---|---|
| Nitrogen oxides (NOx) | ≥50 tons/year | ≥25 tons/year |
| Volatile Organic compounds (VOC) | ≥50 tons/year | ≥25 tons/year |
| Particulate Matter (PM10) | ||
| Sulfur Oxides (SOx) |
Facilities that were emitting NOx, VOC, PM10 or SOx may be eligible to generate Emission Reduction Credits (ERCs) with a permanent reduction of those emissions generating from a shutdown or installation of control technology or process change.
If your company has a new project that exceeds thresholds or had a facility with permanent reduction of emissions at any level, please reach out to see how Emissions Experts can assist.