WAC 173-401-532   Categorically exempt insignificant emission units.  (1) General. This section contains lists of units and activities that are categorically exempt from this chapter. The activities listed in this section may be omitted from the permit application.

     (2) Mobile transport tanks on vehicles, except for those containing asphalt.

     (3) Lubricating oil storage tanks.

     (4) Storage tanks, reservoirs and pumping and handling equipment of any size, limited to soaps, lubricants, hydraulic fluid, vegetable oil, grease, animal fat, aqueous salt solutions or other materials and processes using appropriate lids and covers where there is no generation of objectionable odor or airborne particulate matter.

     (5) Pressurized storage of oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, air, or inert gases.

     (6) Storage of solid material, dust-free handling.

     (7) Vehicle exhaust from auto maintenance and repair shops.

     (8) Vents from continuous emissions monitors and other analyzers.

     (9) Vents from rooms, buildings and enclosures that contain permitted emissions units or activities from which local ventilation, controls and separate exhaust are provided.

     (10) Internal combustion engines for propelling or powering a vehicle.

     (11) Recreational fireplaces including the use of barbecues, campfires and ceremonial fires.

     (12) Brazing, soldering and welding equipment and oxygen-hydrogen cutting torches for use in cutting metal where in components of the metal do not generate HAPs or HAPs precursors.

     (13) Atmospheric generators used in connection with metal heat treating processes.

     (14) Metal finishing or cleaning using tumblers.

     (15) Metal casting molds and molten metal crucibles that do not contain potential HAPs.

     (16) Die casting.

     (17) Metal or glass heat-treating, in absence of molten materials, oils, or VOCs.

     (18) Drop hammers or hydraulic presses for forging or metalworking.

     (19) Electrolytic deposition, used to deposit brass, bronze, copper, iron, tin, zinc, precious and other metals not listed as the parents of HAPs.

     (20) Metal fume vapors from electrically heated foundry/forge operations wherein the components of the metal do not generate HAPs or HAP precursors. Electric arc furnaces are excluded from consideration for listing as insignificant.

     (21) Metal melting and molten metal holding equipment and operations wherein the components of the metal do not generate HAPs or HAP precursors. Electric arc furnaces are not considered for listing as insignificant.

     (22) Inspection equipment for metal products.

     (23) Plastic and resin curing equipment, excluding FRP.

     (24) Extrusion equipment, metals, minerals, plastics, grain or wood.

     (25) Presses and vacuum forming, for curing rubber and plastic products or for laminating plastics.

     (26) Roller mills and calendars, rubber and plastics.

     (27) Conveying and storage of plastic pellets.

     (28) Plastic compression, injection, and transfer molding and extrusion, rotocasting, pultrusion, blowmolding, excluding acrylics, PVC, polystyrene and related copolymers and the use of plasticizer. Only oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, air, or inert gas allowed as blowing agents.

     (29) Plastic pipe welding.

     (30) Nonmetallic mineral mines and screening plants except for crushing and associated activities that are not subject to 40 CFR Part 60 Subpart 000. Quarrying of silica rock and associated activities are not considered for listing as insignificant.

     (31) Wet sand and gravel screening.

     (32) Wax application.

     (33) Plant upkeep including routine housekeeping, preparation for and painting of structures or equipment, retarring roofs, applying insulation to buildings in accordance with applicable environmental and health and safety requirements and paving or stripping parking lots.

     (34) Agricultural activities on a facility's property that are not subject to registration or new source review by the permitting authority.

     (35) Cleaning and sweeping of streets and paved surfaces.

     (36) Ultraviolet curing processes.

     (37) Hot melt adhesive application with no VOCs in the adhesive formulation.

     (38) Laundering, dryers, extractors, tumblers for fabrics, using water solutions of bleach and/or detergents.

     (39) Steam cleaning operations.

     (40) Steam sterilizers.

     (41) Food preparing for human consumption including cafeterias, kitchen facilities and barbecues located at a source for providing food service on the premises.

     (42) Portable drums and totes.

     (43) Lawn and landscaping activities.

     (44) Flares used to indicate danger to the public.

     (45) General vehicle maintenance including vehicle exhaust from repair facilities.

     (46) Comfort air conditioning or air cooling systems, not used to remove air contaminants from specific equipment.

     (47) Natural draft hoods, natural draft stacks, or natural draft ventilators for sanitary and storm drains, safety valves, and storage tanks subject to size and service limitations expressed elsewhere in this section.

     (48) Natural and forced air vents and stacks for bathroom/toilet facilities.

     (49) Office activities.

     (50) Personal care activities.

     (51) Sampling connections used exclusively to withdraw materials for laboratory analyses and testing.

     (52) Fire fighting and similar safety equipment and equipment used to train fire fighters excluding fire drill pits.

     (53) Materials and equipment used by, and activity related to operation of infirmary; infirmary is not the source's business activity.

     (54) Fuel and exhaust emissions from vehicles in parking lots.

     (55) Carving, cutting, routing, turning, drilling, machining, sawing, surface grinding, sanding, planing, buffing, shot blasting, shot peening, sintering or polishing: Ceramics, glass, leather, metals, plastics, rubber, concrete, paper stock or wood provided that:

     (a) Activity is performed indoors;

     (b) Particulate emission control in the immediate vicinity of the activity;

     (c) Exhaust from the particulate control is within the building housing the activity;

     (d) No fugitive particulate emissions enter the environment.

     (56) Oxygen, nitrogen, or rare gas extraction and liquefaction equipment subject to other exemption limitation, e.g., internal and external combustion equipment.

     (57) Slaughterhouse equipment except rendering cookers.

     (58) Ozonation equipment.

     (59) Nonasbestos brake shoe bonding.

     (60) Batch loading and unloading of solid phase catalysts.

     (61) Demineralization and oxygen scavenging (deaeration) of water.

     (62) Pulse capacitors.

     (63) Laser trimmers, using dust collection to prevent fugitive emissions.

     (64) Plasma etcher, using dust collection to prevent fugitive emissions and using only oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, or inert gas.

     (65) Gas cabinets using only gasses that are not regulated air pollutants.

     (66) CO₂ lasers, used only on metals and other materials which do not emit HAPs in the process.

     (67) Structural changes not having air contaminant emissions.

     (68) Confection cooking equipment.

     (69) Mixing, packaging, storage and handling activities of any size, limited to soaps, lubricants, vegetable oil, grease, animal fat, aqueous salt solutions.

     (70) Photographic process equipment by which an image is reproduced upon material sensitized to radiant energy, e.g., blueprint activity, photocopiers, mimeograph, telefax, photographic developing, and microfiche.

     (71) Pharmaceutical and cosmetics packaging equipment.

     (72) Paper trimmers/binders.

     (73) Sample gathering, preparation and management.

     (74) Repair and maintenance activities, not involving installation of an emission unit and not increasing potential emissions of a regulated air pollutant.

     (75) Handling equipment and associated activities for glass and aluminum which is destined for recycling, not the re-refining process itself.

     (76) Hydraulic and hydrostatic testing equipment.

     (77) Batteries and battery charging.

     (78) Porcelain and vitreous enameling equipment.

     (79) Solid waste (as defined in the Washington Administrative Code) containers.

     (80) Salt baths using nonvolatile salts and not used in operations which result in air emissions.

     (81) Shock chambers.

     (82) Wire strippers.

     (83) Humidity chambers.

     (84) Solar simulators.

     (85) Environmental chambers not using hazardous air pollutant (HAPs) gasses.

     (86) Totally enclosed conveyors.

     (87) Steam vents and safety relief valves.

     (88) Air compressors, pneumatically operated equipment, systems and hand tools.

     (89) Steam leaks.

     (90) Recovery boiler blow-down tank.

     (91) Salt cake mix tanks.

     (92) Continuous digester chip feeders.

     (93) Weak liquor and filter tanks.

     (94) Process water and white water storage tanks.

     (95) Demineralizer tanks.

     (96) Clean condensate tanks.

     (97) Alum tanks.

     (98) Broke beaters, repulpers, pulp and repulping tanks, stock chests and pulp handling.

     (99) Lime mud filtrate tank.

     (100) Hydrogen peroxide tanks.

     (101) Lime mud water.

     (102) Lime mud filter.

     (103) Liquor clarifiers and storage tanks and associated pumping, piping and handling.

     (104) Lime grits washers, filters and handling.

     (105) Lime silos and feed bins.

     (106) Paper forming.

     (107) Dryers (Yankee, after dryer, curing systems and coolings systems).

     (108) Vacuum systems exhausts.

     (109) Starch cooking.

     (110) Stock cleaning and pressurized pulp washing.

     (111) Winders.

     (112) Chipping.

     (113) Debarking.

     (114) Sludge dewatering and handling.

     (115) Screw press vents.

     (116) Pond dredging.

     (117) Polymer tanks and storage devices and associated pumping and handling equipment, used for solids dewatering and flocculation.

     (118) NonPCB oil filled circuit breakers, oil filled transformers and other equipment that is analogous to, but not considered to be, a tank.

     (119) Electric or steam-heated drying ovens and autoclaves.

     (120) Sewer manholes, junction boxes, sumps and lift stations associated with wastewater treatment systems.

     (121) Water cooling towers processing exclusively noncontact cooling water.



[Statutory Authority: Chapter 70.94 RCW. 94-11-105 (Order 93-30), § 173-401-532, filed 5/17/94, effective 6/17/94.]