ENV-04-183 Air Permit Issuance Probability – A Texas Case Study

Description:

This case study evaluated Texas air permit application data from 1981 through 2003 to assess trends in New Source Review (NSR) permit issuance. The focus of the study was on state and federal new source review air permit applications and the outcome of the permitting process. Applications that received public hearing requests were of particular interest with the ultimate focus on the likelihood of permit issuance for all air permits: those with hearing requests, and those that went through the contested case hearing process. Data was obtained from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) Air Permit Information Management System (IMS) web site. Data analyses include the following: • The number of air permit applications submitted and whether a permit was subsequently issued, denied, or the application was withdrawn. • The number of public hearing requests and whether these requests were granted, denied, or voluntarily withdrawn by the requestor. • The number of public hearings held and their outcome. Air permit application technical review times were also analyzed. Comparative analyses show the typical permit application technical review time required and the effects of a public hearing request or a public hearing, on the review time. A comparison of the time required for state-only permit application technical review versus PSD or nonattainment permit application review was also performed. It should be noted that the data reviewed for this study contained inconsistencies and that a direct relationship between applications and contested case hearing requests were not available and had to be inferred.