(a) Whenever a health risk assessment approved pursuant to Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 44360) indicates, in the judgment of the district, that there is a significant risk associated with the emissions from a facility, the facility operator shall conduct an airborne toxic risk reduction audit and develop a plan to implement airborne toxic risk reduction measures that will result in the reduction of emissions from the facility to a level below the significant risk level within five years of the date the plan is submitted to the district. The facility operator shall implement measures set forth in the plan in accordance with this chapter.
(b) The period to implement the plan required by subdivision (a) may be shortened by the district if it finds that it is technically feasible and economically practicable to implement the plan to reduce emissions below the significant risk level more quickly or if it finds that the emissions from the facility pose an unreasonable health risk.
(c) A district may lengthen the period to implement the plan required by subdivision (a) by up to an additional five years if it finds that a period longer than five years will not result in an unreasonable risk to public health and that requiring implementation of the plan within five years places an unreasonable economic burden on the facility operator or is not technically feasible.
(d) (1) The state board and districts shall provide assistance to smaller businesses that have inadequate technical and financial resources for obtaining information, assessing risk reduction methods, and developing and applying risk reduction techniques.
(2) Risk reduction audits and plans for any industry subject to this chapter which is comprised mainly of small businesses using substantially similar technology may be completed by a self-conducted audit and checklist developed by the state board. The state board, in coordination with the districts, shall provide a copy of the audit and checklist to small businesses within those industries to assist them to meet the requirements of this chapter.
(e) The audit and plan shall contain all the information required by Section 44392.
(f) The plan shall be submitted to the district, within six months of a district’s determination of significant risk, for review of completeness. Operators of facilities that have been notified prior to January 1, 1993, that there is a significant risk associated with emissions from the facility shall submit the plan by July 1, 1993. The district’s review of completeness shall include a substantive analysis of the emission reduction measures included in the plan, and the ability of those measures to achieve emission reduction goals as quickly as feasible as provided in subdivisions (a) and (b).
(g) The district shall find the audit and plan to be satisfactory within three months if it meets the requirements of this chapter, including, but not limited to, subdivision (f). If the district determines that the audit and plan does not meet those requirements, the district shall remand the audit and plan to the facility specifying the deficiencies identified by the district. A facility operator shall submit a revised audit and plan addressing the deficiencies identified by the district within 90 days of receipt of a deficiency notice.
(h) Progress on the emission reductions achieved by the plan shall be reported to the district in emissions inventory updates. Emissions inventory updates shall be prepared as required by the audit and plan found to be satisfactory by the district pursuant to subdivision (g).
(i) If new information becomes available after the initial risk reduction audit and plan, on air toxics risks posed by a facility, or emission reduction technologies that may be used by a facility that would significantly impact risks to exposed persons, the district may require the plan to be updated and resubmitted to the district.
(j) This section does not authorize the emission of a toxic air contaminant in violation of an airborne toxic control measure adopted pursuant to Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 39650) or in violation of Section 41700.
(Amended by Stats. 1993, Ch. 1041, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 1994.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018