u/YoNeckinpa

>However, O’Neill was concerned that federal limits on air pollution could present a roadblock to his gas-fired power generation plans. Montgomery County is designated by the EPA as a “non-attainment zone”, meaning that concentrations of key air pollutants exceed national air quality standards. This designation sharply reduces the emissions allowed from new sources of pollution, such as power plants.

>O’Neill was focused in particular on the annual cap of 25 tons on emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), airborne chemicals which increase the risk of asthma, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and other illnesses.

>“Is there any flexibility in that 25-ton number?” O’Neill asked Tierney, one of five points he said he wished to discuss with the EPA and PUC.

>O’Neill said that “emissions reduction credits,” a pollution allowance that companies can buy from other companies that have reduced emissions, were not available in the region, “making the 25-ton limitation difficult to achieve.”

>Since utilities were unable to provide the huge amount of power his project needed in “a timely manner,” O’Neill asked Tierney if the EPA could provide waivers to the emissions limits.

>“Are there strategies the EPA is working on, similar to what they have done with coal-firing plants, to reduce these limits?” O’Neill asked. “Can we implement a strategy in partnership with the EPA?”