Air Pollution Control Permits
Air toxins from stationary sources are regulated by the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District (APCD). Air toxins are considered to be any air pollutant that negatively affects human health or the environment.
To maintain county wide air quality standards, the APCD issues permits for certain types of emissions sources or processes. Refer to the sections below for a general description of the permitting process and permitting thresholds for various types of emissions sources.
All permits applications must be submitted by Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S).
Contact EH&S at least seven months before an intended project. The APCD requires 30 days to deem an application complete and an additional 180 days to issue a permit. An Authority to Construct permit must be received before a piece of equipment is installed.
Contact EH&S with any questions regarding permitting schedules or requirement thresholds.
The APCD requires a permit for any natural gas boiler greater than 2 MMBTU or two or more “stacked” boilers with a combined heat input of greater than 2 MMBTU. “Stacked” boilers are defined as two or more boilers that serve a common purpose or have a combined header.
If there is any uncertainty about whether a boiler requires a permit, contact EH&S for a consultation. Visit APCD’s boiler webpage for more information at https://www.ourair.org/boiler-heater-generator/.
The APCD requires a permit for any diesel generator greater than or equal to 50 horsepower.
If there is any uncertainty about whether an emergency generator requires a permit, contact EH&S for a consultation. Visit APCD’s Diesel Internal Combustion Engine (DICE) webpage for more information at https://www.ourair.org/dice-atcm/ .
Portable diesel equipment is required to be permitted through either the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) Portable Equipment Registration Program (PERRP) or the APCD. The threshold for permitting for either agency is greater than or equal to 50 horsepower.
If there is any uncertainty about whether a portable diesel engine requires a permit, contact EH&S for a consultation. Visit CARB’s PERP webpage at http://www.arb.ca.gov/portable/portable.htm or APCD’s Diesel Internal Combustion Engine (DICE) webpage at https://www.ourair.org/dice-atcm/ for more information.
Off-Road Diesel Program
The California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) regulates all off-road diesel vehicles greater than or equal to 25 horsepower through the In-Use Off-Road Diesel Vehicle Program. All regulated vehicles are required to be registered through CARB’s Diesel Off-Road Online Reporting System (DOORS) within 30-days of operation. Registered vehicles are assigned Engine Identification Numbers (EINs) and are required to comply with established emissions standards.
If there is any uncertainty about whether an off-road diesel vehicle is required to be registered, contact EH&S for a consultation. Visit CARB’s In-Use Off-Road Diesel Vehicle webpage at http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/ordiesel/ordiesel.htm.
Refrigerant Management Program
Refrigerant gas is a powerful greenhouse gas and contributes to ozone depletion when released into the atmosphere. Because of this, the management of refrigerant gas is regulated on the federal level by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and on the state level by the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB). The sections below detail the Refrigerant Management Program requirements.
All Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) mechanics that perform maintenance, repair, or recovery services on refrigerant equipment are required to maintain an EPA certification. A copy of the EPA certification for all UCSB employees or contractors working on refrigerant conditioning must be provided to EH&S.
UCSB is required to assign an identification number and maintain an inventory of each piece of refrigeration equipment with a capacity greater than 50 lbs. of refrigerant gas, recovery cylinders, and refrigerant gas cylinders.
UCSB is required to maintain refrigerant related records for a minimum of three years. Required records include refrigerant purchase records, refrigerant disposal records, refrigerant cylinder inventory records, refrigerant equipment inventory records, and refrigerant service records.
A Refrigerant Service Form must be completed for each service event, including equipment repair, refrigerant evacuation, and refrigerant adding. All refrigerant evacuation must comply with EPAs Evacuation Level Chart.