Emissions of air pollutants have been regulated since the original Clean Air Act of 1970. Since then, regulations are continuously updated and assessment methodologies evolve as science and technology improve. This means that regulated pollutants are added and removed, emissions and concentration standards are revised, and often federal and state regulations differ all of which can be confusing.

Epsilon’s air quality experts closely follow regulations and are able to decipher federal, state, and local regulations.

Having worked in over 35 states and local jurisdictions, we are able to expertly advise clients on how to meet and comply with evolving air quality regulations.

We help an incredible range of clients, including electric and natural gas utilities, independent power producers, data centers, universities, hospitals, semiconductor manufacturers, bakeries, asphalt & concrete manufacturers, offshore wind developers, coating and printing facilities, wastewater treatment & sludge disposal facilities, crematories, specialty membrane manufacturers, biotech labs, specialty metals manufacturers, and green economy startups.  Each turns to Epsilon for our expertise in complying with air quality regulations, and for our ability to partner with them to meet their specific goals. We work across disciplines with developers, lawyers, engineers, corporate decision-makers, and operations staff to guide them through the rapidly changing landscape of air quality standards and regulatory requirements.

We aid facilities in meeting the requirements of the Clean Air Act and are able to help facilities become compliant by updating required permits and/or designing control systems that are efficient and cost-effective.
Epsilon manages air quality permitting, negotiates air permits with regulatory agencies, provides compliance assistance, and performs environmental inspections. Specifically, our work involves:

• Preparing air permit applications (including PSD/NSR)
• Preparing environmental impact documents
• Preparing siting and licensing applications
• Conducting air quality control assessments
• Conducting due diligence reviews and risk management plans in support of acquisitions and compliance audits
• Preparing and presenting public presentations
• Responding to agency enforcement

Our team of air quality professionals prepares and negotiates operating and pre-construction air permit applications. This includes air emission inventories and Reasonable Available Control Technology (RACT) / Best Available Control Technology (BACT) / Lowest Achievable Emission Rate (LAER) analyses / Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) / Best Available Retrofit Technology (BART) and evaluation of new technologies.  We’ve helped clients find the most cost effective path to minimizing emissions, and we’ve negotiated and advocated to get prompt, fair approvals from agencies ranging from local jurisdictions to the highest levels of USEPA.

Compliance Tracking for Simplified Project Management

With many facilities requiring multiple permit applications in order to operate, it can often be hard to keep track of everything. Epsilon is able to ensure a project stays on track by providing permit tracking. This tracking is for all environmental permits and approvals required of a proposed project before construction begins through the close of the project. This enables clients to better manage project schedules and deadlines. Our tracking effort allows clients to track mitigation requirements and ensure that the site contractor and project team are complying with permit conditions and ensures a facility never misses an important deadline.

From engineering to atmospheric science to regulatory understanding to public outreach, our Air Quality group gets approvals and solves problems.

For public and industrial facilities facing odor complaints, we are well-versed in providing odor control design, odor sampling, and odor impact evaluation analyses including the use of dispersion modeling. We work with local and state environmental regulatory authorities to develop appropriate solutions that achieve cost-effective solutions to mitigate odor impacts while continuing to provide flexible operating conditions.

Our scientists and engineers use sophisticated dispersion modeling techniques to show accurate predictions of ambient concentrations to meet air quality standards. Then, we go beyond the modeling to show what the results mean.  Our team has advanced degrees in engineering and toxicology, along with PE and CCM certifications.  We work as a team to ensure the inputs accurately reflect operations, the modeling utlizes the best most current science, and the results are presented in a way that’s tailored to the audience. 

Modeling scenarios include stack emissions, accidental releases, fugitive emission sources, odor impacts, and mobile sources. EPA’s preferred model AERMOD is our workhorse, we routinely use all the available options (e.g., OLM/PVMRM, RLINE) to make sure the results are accurate and appropriate, and we’ll apply specialty models when those better fit our clients’ needs. By performing these complex air pollution control assessments we are able to guide our clients through the process of how best to meet regulatory requirements.

We are skilled at applying the results of modeling analyses to inform human health risk and environmental justice-related concerns. In support of these analyses, Epsilon’s trusted senior staff have provided expert testimony to state oversight boards, local planning boards, and at public hearings.

Our air modelers use dispersion modeling techniques to estimate ambient concentrations from facilities or new projects on Environmental Justice (EJ) communities. These analyses are used to meet new federal and state environmental justice policies required for permitting including new and evolving cumulative impact assessment rules. For example, our experts have successfully applied AERMOD to model project-related emissions from stationary and mobile sources and predict Project-related air pollutant concentrations in EJ communities. Comparing the predicted air pollution concentrations to health-based standards, we can address concerns related to any adverse and disproportionate impacts that a project might have on an EJ community. By conducting these analyses, we have successfully secured the necessary permits for projects in EJ communities.