Emissões atmosféricas - licenciamento e conformidade

We advise on all manner of traditional and emerging air issues impacting virtually every business enterprise in America today. Whether involved in crafting new regulations, obtaining permits, or defending operations against alleged violations, Foley’s attorneys take the long view, working closely with you to achieve your business goals with the most practical, timely, and cost-effective strategies available.

Bringing together a broad range of individuals with specific knowledge, the Foley air lawyers are adept at communicating with all stakeholders – from the C-suite to the shop floor and from governmental agencies to environmental advocates – while driving projects toward success. Foley’s national air practice serves investors, owners, and operators in a wide range of sectors faced with constantly evolving air regulations and economic challenges.

Leading companies in most major heavy and light industrial sectors look to the Foley air team for strategic thinking and skillful implementation in the complex arenas of project development and permitting, regulatory development, enforcement, defense, and compliance counseling at the federal, state, and local administrative and judicial levels. We have the air experience you need whether you are in pharmaceuticals, electric power generation (including fossil fuels and advanced energy storage), oil and gas production, pipeline transportation, engine manufacturing, organic and inorganic chemicals and plastics, pulp and paper, metal foundries, fabrication and coating, sand mining, solid and hazardous waste disposal, building products, airlines, Data Center and Digital Infrastructure and industrial reuse.

Licenciamento de fontes novas e existentes

An “air permit” is more than just a legal document that authorizes the emission of contaminants into the atmosphere. For new or modified capital projects and business expansions, an air permit often dictates the construction schedule, production start-up date, plant layout, operating procedures, costs, and even plant location. Once the plant is operating, the emission limitations and the operating, monitoring, and reporting requirements of the permit become just as important for business success as the customer’s quality specs. We make it a habit to learn our clients’ business operations and offer strategic and practical advice for obtaining well-understood permits that enhance, rather than hinder, facility production. We regularly represent clients in new and existing source permit actions involving typical and not-so-typical federal, state, and local issues, including:

• Realizar determinações iniciais de aplicabilidade, o que envolve determinar se e quais requisitos federais ou estaduais de licença se aplicam e, igualmente importante, quais não se aplicam.
• Developing the analysis and implementing procedures and limits to avoid the applicability of New Sources Review (NSR) and Title V major source requirements. We provide specialized counsel on synthetic minor permitting for Data Center emergency generator fleets to minimize operational restrictions and project timelines. Where major source status cannot be avoided, developing Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) and NSR preconstruction permit application strategies, negotiating reasonable permit conditions, and litigating unfavorable permitting decisions
• Negociação do Título V e das condições da licença de operação estadual e dos requisitos da licença de gases de efeito estufa
• Facilitating the removal of Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) requirements from active permits following the end of EPA’s “once in, always in” policy under Section 112 of the federal Clean Air Act
• Responding to neighbors’ concerns and, if necessary, defending third-party actions, such as nuisance claims, or appeals of air permits brought by non-government organizations

Defesa contra a aplicação da lei

Podemos orientá-lo ao longo de todo o processo de investigações e ações de fiscalização federais, estaduais, locais e civis, desde as inspeções das agências ou solicitações de informações até a resolução. Mantemos o nosso foco e apoiamos você durante a implementação de ações corretivas e projetos ambientais complementares, formação de pessoal, monitoramento e relatórios. A experiência da Foley inclui:

• Representação de empresas dos setores de geração de energia, celulose e papel, embalagens industriais, prestadores de serviços médicos e fabricantes de produtos químicos e farmacêuticos contra ações judiciais por alegadas violações dos requisitos de licenciamento e operação da NSR (New Source Regulation) e de poluentes atmosféricos perigosos (MACT).
• Representação de vários fabricantes de motores, componentes de emissões e veículos contra alegadas violações dos requisitos de emissões de fontes móveis ao abrigo da Secção 205 da Lei do Ar Limpo e requisitos estaduais relacionados
• Representação de empresas químicas e de petróleo e gás em acordos judiciais federais envolvendo requisitos de deteção e reparação de fugas (LDAR)
• Liderar ou apoiar investigações de eventos e incidentes relacionados com emissões através da análise das causas principais, relatórios internos, implementação de medidas corretivas e negociações com agências
• Representação de clientes em questões civis relacionadas à aplicação da legislação ambiental e, em coordenação com a nossa equipa de investigações governamentais, em questões criminais relacionadas à aplicação da legislação ambiental.

Desenvolvimento Regulatório

Podemos representá-lo em regulamentações estaduais e federais da Lei do Ar Limpo, envolvendo esforços de agências para coletar e analisar dados sobre emissões, tecnologia e custos da indústria, bem como propor, negociar, emitir, reconsiderar e litigar regras.

Foley tem estado na vanguarda das ações da agência que abordam o desenvolvimento, revisão e implementação dos Padrões Nacionais de Qualidade do Ar Ambiente (NAAQS), Programas Regionais de Nevoeiro e Melhor Tecnologia de Retrofit Disponível, NSR e PSD, Padrões MACT para Poluentes Atmosféricos Perigosos (HAPs), relatórios e licenciamento de gases de efeito estufa, Regra Interestadual do Ar Limpo (CAIR) e Regra de Poluição Atmosférica Interestadual, veículos motorizados e sistemas de controlo de emissões de fontes móveis, requisitos para programas estaduais e federais de licenças de operação da Parte 70, atualizações da Seção 112(r) Plano de Prevenção de Liberação Acidental/Gerenciamento de Risco e Programa de Gerenciamento de Segurança de Processos (PSM) e questões relacionadas à implementação tribal dos programas da Lei do Ar Limpo.

A nossa experiência com desenvolvimento regulatório inclui:

• Negociar os termos dos pedidos de informação da agência
• Elaboração de respostas a pedidos de informação, elaboração de comentários sobre regras propostas
• Monitoring and shaping emerging federal and state regulations specifically targeting data center generator usage (e.g., limitations on non-emergency operations for grid support) and emissions from Energy Transition projects.
• Advising on the intersection of air permitting with CA Climate Disclosure and other ESG requirements, including the development of verifiable Scope 1 emissions data.
• Preparação de petições para reconsideração
• Litigar e resolver petições de revisão para clientes sobre propostas de regulamentações federais relativas ao transporte aéreo
• Aconselhamento a clientes durante o processo de obtenção de variações dos requisitos estaduais e federais relativos à neblina regional

Aconselhamento e auditoria em conformidade

A Foley aplica o seu conhecimento detalhado dos requisitos de licenciamento e das suas operações e objetivos para ajudar a garantir a conformidade e identificar questões a resolver, através de:

• Developing and conducting environmental and safety audits and appropriate corrective action and by managing potential liabilities through voluntary self-disclosures to state and federal agencies
• Aconselhamento sobre conformidade com os requisitos regulamentares e de licenciamento aplicáveis
• Formação de responsáveis pela gestão sobre os requisitos para certificação da conformidade com os requisitos de licenciamento do Título V e avaliação dos programas internos de manutenção de registos existentes, como parte da «investigação razoável» exigida para as certificações de conformidade.

Navigating the Diesel Generator Challenge

The need for uninterruptible power is the lifeblood of a data center, making backup diesel generator fleets—often numbering in the hundreds—a mission-critical component of nearly every facility. However, these fleets represent the single largest source of on-site air emissions, placing them squarely in the crosshairs of federal, state, and local air quality regulators. The legal distinction between “emergency” and “non-emergency” use is a complex and high-stakes battleground, as even minimal non-emergency operation can push a facility’s Potential to Emit (PTE) above critical thresholds, triggering onerous and time-consuming permitting requirements.

At Foley & Lardner, we specialize in developing sophisticated air permitting strategies during the project’s design phase to legally and operationally manage this risk. Our focus is on avoiding the designation of “Major Source” under the Clean Air Act’s Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) or Nonattainment New Source Review (NNSR) programs, which can add years and millions of dollars to a project’s timeline and budget. We achieve this by structuring the project to qualify for “Synthetic Minor” permits, establishing legally enforceable limits on operating hours, fuel consumption, and emission rates. This approach requires precise modeling of air emissions, particularly for criteria pollutants like Nitrogen Oxides, to demonstrate compliance with National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), especially in non-attainment areas.

Furthermore, the regulatory landscape is continuously shifting. We closely monitor evolving EPA interpretations—including those related to the permissible use of emergency generators for grid support or demand response programs—to ensure your operational flexibility remains legally protected. Whether through negotiating reasonable limits with state agencies (like TCEQ, DEQ, or MPCA), challenging unfavorable permit conditions, or defending against citizen suits, our attorneys provide the strategic counsel necessary to secure the permits that keep your project on schedule and your mission-critical operations compliant, avoiding the significant fines and project delays associated with non-compliance.

Key Air Quality Permitting Services For Data Centers

Our targeted air quality services for data centers include:

• Potential to Emit (PTE) Analysis: Calculating maximum theoretical emissions and establishing legally binding operational restrictions to maintain Synthetic Minor status and avoid Major Source permitting.
• New Source Review (NSR) Strategy: Advising on compliance with PSD and NNSR regulations, including Best Available Control Technology (BACT) and Lowest Achievable Emission Rate (LAER) analyses if Major Source status cannot be avoided.
• Air Dispersion Modeling (AERMOD): Conducting advanced air quality impact assessments to demonstrate that emissions from backup fleets will not violate NAAQS standards, especially for Nitrogen Oxides in non-attainment zones.
• Permit Negotiation and Defense: Representing clients before federal and state environmental agencies to secure permits with practical, well-defined operational limits and defending permits against appeals or litigation.
• Compliance with RICE NESHAP and NSPS: Ensuring generator engines meet applicable National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) and New Source Performance Standards (NSPS).
• Grid Support Regulatory Interpretation: Advising on the latest EPA guidance regarding the limited use of emergency generators for non-emergency grid stability purposes to prevent loss of “emergency” status.