CHA Emissions Control & Environmental Compliance 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under the Clean Air Act, which threshold triggers a food processing facility to obtain a Title V Operating Permit?
- 10 tons/year of any single HAP
- 100 tons/year of any regulated pollutant (Correct answer)
- 25 tons/year of combined HAPs
- 50 tons/year of VOCs only
Correct answer: 100 tons/year of any regulated pollutant
Title V permits are required when a facility emits 100 tons/year or more of any regulated air pollutant.
Question 2: Which document serves as the primary record linking an emission unit to its applicable air quality regulations during a compliance audit?
- Material Safety Data Sheet
- Air Emissions Inventory
- Facility Operating Permit (Correct answer)
- Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan
Correct answer: Facility Operating Permit
The facility operating permit identifies each emission unit, its limits, and the specific regulations that apply.
Question 3: A food plant uses an ammonia refrigeration system. Under EPA's Risk Management Program (RMP), what quantity of ammonia on-site triggers RMP applicability?
- 500 lbs
- 1,000 lbs
- 5,000 lbs
- 10,000 lbs (Correct answer)
Correct answer: 10,000 lbs
Ammonia has an RMP threshold quantity of 10,000 lbs, above which facilities must develop and submit an RMP plan.
Question 4: During an environmental audit, an auditor finds refrigerant purchase records exceed refrigerant recovered from a system. What violation does this most likely indicate?
- Improper container labeling
- Unpermitted refrigerant venting under Section 608 of the CAA (Correct answer)
- Failure to conduct quarterly leak inspections
- Missing Material Balance Report
Correct answer: Unpermitted refrigerant venting under Section 608 of the CAA
A purchase-to-recovery discrepancy indicates potential venting, which is prohibited under CAA Section 608 for ozone-depleting and substitute refrigerants.
Question 5: What is the primary purpose of a Leak Detection and Repair (LDAR) program in a food manufacturing facility?
- Monitor effluent discharge to waterways
- Reduce fugitive VOC emissions from equipment components (Correct answer)
- Track solid waste generation rates
- Ensure proper labeling of hazardous chemicals
Correct answer: Reduce fugitive VOC emissions from equipment components
LDAR programs use Method 21 monitoring to detect and repair fugitive VOC leaks from valves, pumps, and connectors.
Question 6: Which EPA method is the standard reference for measuring particulate matter emissions from stationary sources during stack testing?
- Method 9
- Method 25A
- Method 5 (Correct answer)
- Method 18
Correct answer: Method 5
EPA Method 5 is the reference method for determining particulate matter emissions from stationary sources.
Question 7: A facility's air permit requires continuous emissions monitoring (CEMS). How often must CEMS data be recorded to satisfy federal requirements?
- Every 24 hours
- Every 6 hours
- Every hour (Correct answer)
- Every 15 minutes
Correct answer: Every hour
CEMS must record data at least once per hour to generate hourly averages used for compliance determination.
CHA Emissions Control & Environmental Compliance 2
Under the Clean Air Act, which threshold triggers a food processing facility to obtain a Title V Operating Permit?