Notice of Public Comment Period - Draft Air Quality Permit 7413 - U.S. General Services Administration - Central Heating and Refrigeration Plant

PUBLIC NOTICE

Draft Air Quality Permit 7413, U.S. General Services Administration, Modification and operation of an existing
500 MMBTU/hr dual-fuel boiler (Boiler No. 3) at the Central Heating and Refrigeration Plant, 325 13th Street SW

Notice is hereby given that, pursuant to 20 DCMR §210, the Air Quality Division (AQD) of the Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE), located at 1200 First Street NE, 5^th Floor, Washington, DC, proposes to issue Permit No. 7413 to the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) to install Falcon Combustion FVF low oxides of nitrogen (NOx) burners and a flue gas recirculation (FGR) system on and operate existing Boiler No. 3, a 500 MMBTU/hr rated heat input dual-fuel boiler, capable of burning both natural gas and No. 2 fuel oil at the Central Heating and Refrigeration Plant (CHRP) located at 325 13^th  Street SW, Washington DC 20407. This equipment is proposed for installation to reduce emissions of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) from the boiler to come into compliance with the requirements of 20 DCMR 805.5(e)(2)(A) and (B). The contact person for the facility is George Korvah, Branch Manager – Environmental and Water Chemistry Branch, at (202) 690-9719 or [email protected].

Emissions Estimates:

Emissions of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) from the boiler are expected to decrease substantially as a result of the installation of the new low NOx burners and FGR system. The potential emissions listed in the table below reflect the allowable emissions in the proposed permit and reflect limits on fuel oil usage found in the permit. They assume maximum use of the most polluting fuel for each pollutant.

^† Includes both condensable and filterable particulate matter.

Prior to the reduction in the NOx emission standard which resulted in GSA’s proposal to install the new low NOx burners and FGR, the potential to emit would have been approximately 453.5 tons per year of NOx. As such, this permitting action is expected to result in a reduction in the potential to emit NOx of approximately 322.27 tons per year.

The proposed emission limits are as follows:

1. 1. Emissions from the boiler shall not exceed the following rates [20 DCMR 201]:

^† Includes both condensable and filterable particulate matter.

b.   Total suspended particulate matter (TSP) emissions from the boiler shall not be greater than 0.04 pounds per million BTU (lb/MMBTU). [20 DCMR 600.1]

c.    Oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions from the boiler shall not exceed:

1.   When burning natural gas:    

i.    0.05 lb/MMBTU based on a calendar day average, on days when the equipment is powered exclusively by natural gas. [20 DCMR 805.5(e)(2)(B)];

ii.   0.2 lb/MMBTU maximum two (2) hour average, expressed as NO_{2. .}[20 DCMR 804.1 and 20 DCMR Chapter 8, Appendix 8-1]; and

iii.  0.20 lb/MMBTU over any three (3) hour period averaged as the arithmetic mean of three contiguous one-hour periods. [40 CFR 60.44(a)(1) and 40 CFR 60.45(g)(3)(i)]

2.   When burning No. 2 fuel oil:

i.    0.12 lb/MMBTU based on a calendar day average, on days when the equipment is powered by fuel oil or a combination of fuel oil and natural gas. [20 DCMR 805.5(e)(2)(A)];

ii.   0.3 lb/MMBTU maximum two (2) hour average, expressed as NO_2. [20 DCMR 804.1 and 20 DCMR Chapter 8, Appendix 8-1]; and

iii.  0.30 lb/MMBTU over any three (3) hour period averaged as the arithmetic mean of three contiguous one-hour periods. [40 CFR 60.44(a)(2) and 40 CFR 60.45(g)(3)(i)]

3.   Emissions from Boiler 3, combined with the two combustion turbines and duct burners and Boiler 4 (both of the latter sets of equipment separately permitted), shall not exceed 25 tons per control period. The control period is defined as the period beginning May 1st of each year and ending on September 30th of the same year, inclusive. [20 DCMR 1001.1 and 20 DCMR 1099.1]

d.   Visible emissions shall not, at any time, exhibit opacity more than ten percent (10%) (unaveraged) from the unit except that discharges shall be permitted for two (2) minutes during any startup, cleaning, adjustment of combustion or operational controls, or regeneration of emission control equipment, provided that such discharges shall not exceed the following opacities [20DCMR 606.1(a)(3) and 20 DCMR 606.2]:

1.   When burning exclusively natural gas, twenty percent (20%); and

2.   When burning fuel oil or a combination of fuel oil and natural gas, twenty-seven percent (27%).

e.   NOx and CO emissions from the boiler shall not exceed those achieved with the performance of annual combustion adjustments on the boiler, performed per Conditions III(d) and (e) [of the permit]. [20 DCMR 805.5(b) and 20 DCMR 805.9]

f.    The Permittee shall not cause to be discharged into the atmosphere, from Boiler 3, any gases that contain sulfur dioxide (SO₂) in excess of 0.80 lb/MMBTU, when burning No. 2 fuel oil. [20 DCMR 60.43(a)(1)]

g.   An emission into the atmosphere of odorous or other air pollutants from any source in any quantity and of any characteristic, and duration which is, or is likely to be injurious to the public health or welfare, or which interferes with the reasonable enjoyment of life or property is prohibited. [20 DCMR 903.1]

Violation of the requirements of this condition that occur as a result of unavoidable malfunction, despite the conscientious employment of control practices, shall be an affirmative defense for which the owner or operator shall bear the burden of proof. A malfunction shall not be considered unavoidable if the owner or operator could have taken, but did not take, appropriate steps to eliminate the malfunction within a reasonable time, as determined by the Department. [20 DCMR 903.13(b)]

Note: This condition is District enforceable only.

h.   Facility-wide emissions of NOx from the Central Heating and Refrigeration Plant shall not exceed 268 tons in any 12-consecutive-month period. [20 DCMR 201 and 20 DCMR 805.2] For purposes of determining compliance with this condition, NOx emissions shall be determined as follows:

1. 1. 1. For all temporary and permanently-installed boilers and the combined heat and power (CHP) system (also known as Combustion Turbines 1 and 2 and Boiler 5), emissions shall be determined based on the results of monitoring using properly certified Continuous Emissions Monitoring Systems (CEMS) for NOx, except that another method may be specified for units that may be installed after the date of this permit, as authorized by District and federal laws and regulations; and
2. 1. 2. Emissions from all emergency engines shall be determined based on manufacturer-specified emission factors and assuming the maximum horsepower of the engine for the period of operation during each 12-consecutive-month period, unless other unit-specific factors are developed based on emissions testing, in which case, these factors may be used in lieu of the manufacturer-specified factors, upon approval of the Department.

i.    In addition to the above emission limitations, the Permittee shall comply with all plant-wide emission limits found in Chapter 3 (Title V) Permit No. 032.

The permit application and supporting documentation, along with the draft permit are available for public inspection at AQD and copies may be made available between the hours of 9:00 A.M. and 5:00 P.M. Monday through Friday. Interested parties wishing to view these documents should provide their names, addresses, telephone numbers and affiliation, if any, to Stephen S. Ours at (202) 498-8143 or [email protected]. Copies of the draft permit and related technical support memorandum are also available in the attachments section below.

Interested persons may submit written comments or may request a hearing on this subject within 30 days of publication of this notice. The written comments must also include the person’s name, telephone number, affiliation, if any, mailing address, and a statement outlining the air quality issues in dispute and any facts underscoring those air quality issues. All relevant comments will be considered before taking final action on the permit application.

Comments on the proposed permit and any request for a public hearing should be addressed to:

Stephen S. Ours           
Chief, Permitting Branch - Air Quality Division

Department of Energy and Environment
1200 First Street NE, 5th Floor
Washington DC 20002

[email protected]

No comments or hearing requests submitted after February 2, 2026 will be accepted.

For more information, please contact Stephen S. Ours at (202) 498-8143.