A rollout meeting is planned for Feb. 5 to release the draft of the West Virginia Division of Air Quality’s new air quality general permit for natural gas activities. The Class II general permit, G80-A, would cover prevention and control of air pollution in regard to natural gas production, compressor and/or dehydration facilities.
Currently, air quality General Permits G30-D and G35-A cover natural gas compressor facilities and air quality General Permit G70-A pertains to natural gas facilities, which are designed and operated for the purpose of natural gas production at the well site. These permits will continue to exist but there will be no future registrations, modifications or administrative updates allowed to registrations issued under these permits. If a registrant wishes to modify an existing registration covered under those permits, it must be done under General Permit G80-A.
Please note that approval for gas well drilling is not covered under this air quality general permit and must instead go through the Office of Oil and Gas, another agency under the Department of Environmental Protection umbrella.
The Feb. 5 meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the DEP’s headquarters, located at 601 57th Street, SE in Charleston.
The meeting will be divided into a morning session, from 9 a.m. to noon, and an afternoon session, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The morning session will consist of a general overview and would likely be of interest to a broader audience. The afternoon discussion will focus on more technical information and would be geared more for those who expect to complete or review application registrations under the new general permit.
The event will be live-streamed over the internet. A link to the live stream will be provided upon registration for the meeting. Space is limited, so please register by Feb. 2 by emailing Jennifer Rice at Jennifer.L.Rice@wv.gov. Please type “G80-A Rollout Meeting” in the subject line. In addition to including your name, organization and telephone number in the registration email, please indicate whether you plan to attend the meeting in person or watch the live stream.
In addition to discussion about what the general permit covers, DAQ staff will discuss the timeline and procedures for the official public notice for the draft permit, as well as the date and time for a subsequent public meeting.
The new draft permit and associated application forms and other documents will be made available on the DAQ website, www.dep.wv.gov/daq, following the Feb. 5 meeting.
For more DEP news and information, go to www.dep.wv.gov. Also, be sure to connect with the agency on all social media platforms. Follow @DEPWV on Twitter and find us on YouTube by searching “Environment Matters.” For specific information about the Adopt-A-Highway, West Virginia Project WET (Water Education for Teachers), West Virginia NonPoint Source and Youth Environmental programs, connect on Facebook.