Written by Ken Beach - Fehr Graham Project Manager
Keep in mind, these standards do not apply to mobile engines, residential, commercial, or institutions (medical centers, nursing homes, research centers, institutions of higher education, correctional facilities, elementary and secondary schools, libraries, religious establishments, police stations, and fire stations).
For manufacturing firms and similar organizations: Fehr Graham would like to make you aware of the NESHAP (National Emission Standard for Hazardous Air Pollutants) standards on Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engines (RICE) that becomes effective very soon. If your operations have an internal combustion engine that is stationary, you are probably affected. Some typical engines we have seen include: generators (including emergency), air compressors, fire pumps, water lift stations, and vacuum pumps. Most engines will require operating and maintenance records to be kept. Registration is required for some compression engines (diesel) by May 3 and some spark ignition engines (gasoline, natural gas, propane) by October 19, 2013. The size, fuel, installation date, type (emission size) of facility, and the application of the engine is used to determine requirements.
Fehr Graham and IMEC can help you with these requirements, and in many cases, can assist you with setting up the requirements in less than a few hours per engine. The regulations are fairly complicated for all different kinds of scenarios.
This may not be a large issue for many industries, but anyone with one of these engines is impacted. Usually, just a few hours of service can help them meet the requirements. For most engines you are required to have an hour meter, so that you can record hours of operations, establish a preventative management system, and a means to keep the records of these activities. With larger engines, non-emergency operations, or at major sources of air emissions, the requirements get more demanding and complicated.
Please contact Fehr-Graham or IMEC if you would like to review your needs for the regulatory standard. Each company will have a different situation as it relates to internal combustion engines, but we can help answer any questions and develop a plan!
