(a)  In establishing the best available control technology that is more stringent than the lowest achievable emission rate pursuant to federal law for a proposed new or modified source, the south coast district shall consider only control options or emission limits to be applied to the basic production or process equipment existing in that source category or a similar source category.

(b)  In establishing the best available control technology for a source category or determining the best available control technology for a particular new or modified source, when a particular control alternative for one pollutant will increase emissions of one or more other pollutants, the south coast district’s cost-effectiveness calculation for that particular control alternative shall include the cost of eliminating or reducing the increases in emissions of the other pollutants as required by the south coast district.

(c)  Prior to revising the best available control technology guideline for a source category to establish an emission limit that is more stringent than the existing best available control technology guideline for that source category, the south coast district shall do all of the following:

(1)  Identify one or more potential control alternatives that may constitute the best available control technology, as defined in Section 40405.

(2)  Determine that the proposed emission limitation has been met by production equipment, control equipment, or a process that is commercially available for sale, and has achieved the best available control technology in practice on a comparable commercial operation for at least one year, or a period longer than one year if a longer period is reasonably necessary to demonstrate the operating and maintenance reliability, and costs, for an operating cycle of the production or control equipment or process.

(3)  Review the information developed to assess the cost-effectiveness of each potential control alternative. For purposes of this paragraph, “cost-effectiveness” means the annual cost, in dollars, of the control alternative, divided by the annual emission reduction potential, in tons, of the control alternative.

(4)  Calculate the incremental cost-effectiveness for each potential control option. To determine the incremental cost-effectiveness under this paragraph, the district shall calculate the difference in the annual dollar costs, divided by the difference in the annual emission reduction between each progressively more stringent control alternative, as compared either to the next less expensive control alternative, or to the current best available control technology, whichever is applicable.

(5)  Place the best available control technology revision for a source category proposed under this subdivision on the calendar of a regular meeting agenda of the south coast district board, for its acceptance or further action, as the board determines.

(d)  If the proposed control option is more stringent than the lowest achievable emission rate for a source category pursuant to federal law, the south coast district shall not establish an emission limit for best available control technology that is conditioned on the use of a particular control option unless the incremental cost-effectiveness value of that option is less than the district’s established incremental cost-effectiveness value for each pollutant. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the south coast district shall have the discretion to revise incremental cost-effectiveness value for each pollutant, provided it holds a public hearing pursuant to Section 40440.10 prior to revising the value.

(e)  After the south coast district determines what is the best available control technology for a source, it shall not change that determination for that application for a period of at least one year from the date that an application for authority to construct was determined to be complete by the district. For major capital projects in excess of ten million dollars ($10,000,000), after the applicant has met and conferred with the south coast district in a preapplication meeting, the south coast district executive officer may approve existing best available control technology for the project, for a longer time period as long as the final design is consistent with the initial, preliminary project design presented in the preapplication meeting.

(Added by Stats. 1995, Ch. 837, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 1996.)