The Industry Self-Inspection program – known as
INSPECT – was developed by the San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution
Control District (Valley Air
District) in partnership with business and industry leaders to improve
compliance with air quality regulations and streamline the District’s
inspection program.
Through the INSPECT program, the Valley Air District
assists businesses in developing self-inspection programs for their facilities. This helps each business operator to
implement routine inspections of their equipment and promptly correct any
deficiencies that may be discovered. In return, the Valley Air District will eliminate penalties
for many self-reported violations and reduce penalties for others.
The INSPECT program represents the newest effort in
the District’s compliance assistance program, which focuses on education,
prevention, and cooperation. Anyone
wishing to receive more details about the INSPECT program may call the District
at (559) 230-5950.
Application process
Facilities that wish to participate in the INSPECT
program should contact the District Compliance Assistance Section. District staff will then explain the
requirements of the program. When
all program application requirements are completed an agreement will be prepared
and the facility will be admitted into the program.
Self-Inspection
forms
Under direction from the District, facilities will
be required to develop self-inspection forms for each permitted operation. Forms must be approved by the District
prior to use.
Frequency
of self-inspections
The facility and the District will determine the
frequency of self-inspection for each facility. Frequency of self-inspection may range from daily to
quarterly, depending on the type of operation.
The results of self-inspections must be kept on file by the facility for
three years and must be available for review by the District at any time.
Streamlined
District Inspections
District inspections will be streamlined wherever
possible. More comprehensive
inspections will be conducted when required by law or if the District identifies
discrepancies between the self-inspection reports and the actual condition of
the facility.
Process for documenting and reporting violations
Reporting of violations to the District is
optional. If you choose to document
and report violations that are identified as a result of self-inspections the
following procedures must be followed:
-
Category I violations, those which result in no excess emissions or
excess emissions of 10 pounds per day or less which have not already
resulted in total excess emissions of more than 500 pounds, need only be
documented in a self-inspection report to qualify for penalty reductions. The report must describe the
violation and the date of discovery. Written
documentation of the date compliance was achieved and what corrective
measures were taken must be attached to or noted on the
self-inspection report
-
Category II violations, those which result in excess emissions of more
than 10 pounds per day or have already resulted in excess emissions of more
than 500 pounds, must be documented in a self-inspection report and
officially reported to the District to qualify for penalty reductions. These violations must be reported to
the Compliance Division by telephone or fax within 2 working days of
discovery and must include the facility name, the nature of the violation,
and time of discovery. Written
documentation of the date compliance was achieved and what corrective
measures were taken must be sent to the District and attached to the self-inspection report.
If the violation is the result of a breakdown, the
breakdown must be reported using standard procedures (Rule 1100).
Penalty reductions
There will be no penalties for
Category I violations, which are documented in a self-inspection report and come
into compliance within 10 days.
There will be a 50% reduction in penalties for Category II violations, which are
reported to the District, come into compliance within 10 days, and result in
total excess emissions of no more than 2,000 pounds. Sources will be required to take appropriate corrective
action. The District will support
reasonable variance requests regarding self-reported violations.
There will be a 25% reduction in penalties for Category
II violations which are reported to the District, come into compliance within 10
days, and result in total excess emissions of more than 2,000 pounds. Sources will be required to take
appropriate corrective action. The
District will support reasonable variance requests regarding self-reported
violations.
Program participants will receive a 25% reduction in penalties for
continuous emission monitor or source test exceedances, violations that are
reported as required by Federal, State, or District regulations, or any
violations which result in less than 2,000 pounds of excess emissions that are
discovered by the District but were not reported.
Violations which are intentional, result in serious
actual harm, create a public nuisance, involve toxic air contaminants, present
an imminent and substantial endangerment to human health or the environment, or
result in more than 2,000 pounds of excess emissions and were not reported to
the District are not eligible for relief under this program.
Termination
of participation
A facility may cancel participation in the INSPECT
program at any time by sending written notice to the District.
The District may terminate participation in the
INSPECT program for any facility that fails to maintain an adequate level of
compliance while participating in the program.
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