EPA Revises Regulations Governing Stationary Engines: What Businesses Need to Know
November 25, 2024On August 30, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published final revisions to its regulations governing stationary reciprocating internal combustion engines (RICE), stationary compression ignitions (CI), internal combustion engines (ICE), and spark ignitions (SI). These revised regulations could impact businesses that operate these engines, which are some of the most common types of engines used in industries such as manufacturing, energy production, and utilities. The revised regulations govern emissions from engines that are stationary, meaning they do not move but instead provide power to equipment or provide backup power.
For businesses that rely on stationary engines, it is important to understand these changes. There are two key revisions:
- Electronic reporting:
The most significant change is the requirement to submit emissions data electronically through the EPA’s Central Data Exchange and the electronic reporting portals. These revisions affect both the New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for compression ignition (Subpart IIII) and spark ignition engines, as well as the National Emission Standard for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for RICE. Starting February 26, 2025, operators of stationary engines must submit the following records, reports, and notifications through EPA’s Central Data Exchange:
- Initial Notifications of Compliance;
- Performance Test Reports;
- Notification of Compliance Status; and
- Annual and Semiannual Compliance Reports.
- Clarifications and corrections:
The revised regulations also include corrections and clarifications to existing regulations. The EPA now specifies that oil changes and inspections must occur "within 1 year + 30 days of the previous change" and the EPA clarified that oil filter changes should follow the same schedule as oil changes. The EPA also revised Table 4 of NSPS Subpart IIII, by removing the blank cells and replacing them with the correct carbon monoxide (CO) emission standards for certain model years.
Conclusion
Businesses with stationary engines should familiarize themselves with the EPA’s Central Data Exchange and the electronic reporting portals. If you need assistance determining if or how these revised regulations will affect your business, please reach out to one of our environmental law attorneys.
