PUBLIC NOTICE
Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality
Air Quality Division
Notice is given to the public, according to Chapter 14 of Title 129 - Nebraska Air Quality Regulations, that the Department is proposing to issue an Acid Rain permit to OPPD - Cass County Station (FID #70919) to include sulfur dioxide (SO2) emission requirements for the operation of a natural gas simple cycle combustion turbine electric generating facility located at 3520 Mill Road, Plattsmouth, Cass County, Nebraska.
Although no allowances were allocated by the USEPA to the OPPD - Cass County Station, the number of allowances actually held by an affected source in a unit account may differ from the number allocated because they can be bought, sold or traded. This does not necessitate a revision to the unit SO2 allowance allocations identified in this permit.
Cass County meets the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for those pollutants subject to a NAAQS and is expected to continue in that status. Cass County is unclassifiable in regard to the state Total Reduced Sulfur (TRS) standards and no TRS emissions are expected from this project. No impact is anticipated on habitat for any rare or threatened species.
The NDEE proposes to issue an Acid Rain permit with specific conditions, which states standard requirements that apply to the combustion turbines and the compliance option chosen by OPPD - Cass County Station, which is to hold allowances equal to or greater than the total amount of SO2 emitted in tons. An allowance in the Acid Rain Program is equal to one ton of SO2 emitted. The term of the proposed permit renewal is five years.
The proposed permit and supporting materials are available for inspection by the public June 18, 2020 through July 20, 2020 at the office of the NDEE, Suite 400, 1200 "N" Street, Lincoln, Nebraska, and electronically at http://deq.ne.gov. Comments received during this period will be considered prior to the final decision. During this period the applicant, or any interested person or group of persons, may request or petition the Director for a public hearing, the request must state the nature of the issues to be raised and all arguments and factual grounds supporting their position. If a public hearing is granted by the Director, the hearing will be advertised by public notice at least 30 days prior to the hearing.
Inquiries may be made at (402) 471-2186 or ndeq.airquality@nebraska.gov . Individuals requiring special accommodations or alternate formats of materials should notify the NDEE by calling (402) 471-2186. TDD users should call (800) 833-7352 and ask the relay operator to call the NDEE at (402) 471-2186. For further information, to submit comments, or request a hearing you may contact the NDEE by email “ndeq.airquality@nebraska.gov” or by mail submitted to the attention of David Christensen, Air Quality Division, P.O. Box 98922, Lincoln, Nebraska 68509-8922.