Permits Branch

The Permits Branch issues new permits and permit modifications to existing facilities after reviewing and evaluating permit applications for administrative and technical completeness and ensuring that each application meets regulatory adequacy. The permit is written to meet state and federal regulations to include information on which pollutants are being released, how much may be released, and what kinds of steps the source's owner or operator is taking to reduce pollution. All permits will include a mechanism to demonstrate compliance with the permit conditions.

The listed links on this page will direct you to:

1. Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) Implementation  (PDF). The June 22, 2012 Commission meeting approved revisions to Regulation 19 and 26 relating to greenhouse gases (GHG). Once these rules are filed and an effective date established (likely within a month):
   
   • Existing major GHG sources without a Title V permit have 12 months to submit a Title V permit application or a minor source permit application with limits to restrict GHG to less than major source level.
   • Major GHG sources with a current Title V permit do not require any permit submittals until permit renewal or unless a modification that requires permitting is submitted before then.
     
2. The Air Permits Application Database. This has been put online to allow the public to search for information on Title V and minor source permit applications. This database contains records of all air permit applications processed by the ADEQ since 1999 and links to some of the actual final air permits in Adobe Acrobat format.
    
3. A list of permits currently in draft stage.  This is a list of permits that have been drafted but not yet finalized. They may or may not be open for public comment.
   
   
4. Instructions and forms required by the Department to apply for an air permit, along with other related information.
    
5. Name Change/Change in ownership. This is a set of guidelines for requesting a transfer of ownership or a name change of a facility.
    
6. NAAQS demonstrations (PDF). Several Arkansas regulations require the Department or the facility to evaluate certain construction or modification against National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). However Act 1302 of 2013 prohibits the Department, in most cases, from considering dispersion modeling in permit issuances. In order to process a permit application, the Department may need information to evaluate NAAQS issues. The Department is requiring the submittal of an additional form as an interim measure for implementation of Act 1302. Permit applications will not be considered administratively complete without this completed form. Refer to the FAQ for additional information.
    
7. Non-Criteria Strategy  (PDF). The ADEQ non-criteria pollutant strategy is a tool used by the Department for the evaluation of Hazardous Air Pollutant (HAP) and non-criteria pollutant emissions. It is important to note that the Strategy is not a regulation, but rather a screening methodology used by the Department to determine if the emission of air contaminants from the facility may occur in quantities sufficient to constitute air pollution as defined by the Arkansas Air Pollution Control Code (ADEQ Regulation 18). In practice, the Strategy will begin a regulatory exercise to determine whether additional information concerning proposed non-criteria air emissions from a facility is necessary.
   
   The first two steps of the Strategy are known as the presumptively acceptable emission rate (PAER) and the presumptively acceptable impact level (PAIL). The initial screening of non-criteria emissions is performed by calculating the PAER for each pollutant. If the emissions fail to pass the PAER, then an emission model is developed using the newest version of the AERMOD air quality model approved by the US EPA. If this modeling indicates potential off-site impacts at levels greater than the PAIL for one or more non-criteria pollutants, then the facility may take any combination of the following measures:
    
   
   1. Use refined modeling to predict lower concentrations
   2. Revise emission rate estimates
   3. Use alternative risk assessments to develop site specific presumptively acceptable impact levels
   4. Propose additional control of emissions of the contaminants of concern
   5. Propose alternative operating scenarios that result in lower modeled concentrations
   6. Install ambient air monitors at appropriate locations
   7. Accept emission limitations in a permit that result in lower modeled concentrations
       
   The full text of the Strategy, including a more detailed description of the determination of PAER and PAIL, can be found by viewing Non-Criteria Strategy.
    
   
8. Fee Factor  (PDF)
    
9. Background values  (PDF) for criteria pollutants.
    
10. Minor Source Baseline Dates  (PDF)
     
11. Air Quality Control Regions in Arkansas  (PDF)
     
12. Confidential Information: Applicants can submit confidential information. The presumption is that all material submitted to the Air Division is available for public review unless specific procedures are followed to claim confidentiality. Arkansas Code Annotated § 8-4-308 and APC&EC Regulation 18, Chapter 14: Public Information and Confidentiality contain the requirements for confidential information. Applications and other material claiming confidentiality will be returned to the applicant unprocessed if these requirements are not met.
     
13. Air Permit Files. This page contains select draft permit and other files for the air permit branch.
     
14. Calculators:
    • Boilers
    • Concrete Batch Plants
    • Grain Elevators
    • Incinerators
    • Quarries/Rock Crushers

If you have questions about a specific facility or permit please contact us.

To begin using any of the databases, click on one of the links above.

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