Registration Program

Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency’s Registration Program

Approximately 650 businesses, located throughout Spokane County, are registered with Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency (Spokane Clean Air.) Regulation I, Article IV  lists sources that have been identified as having potentially significant air emissions. Businesses that fall into these categories are required to register with Spokane Clean Air.

Why Register businesses?
Registration ensures that air emissions comply with applicable regulations and to maintain an accurate inventory of the air contaminants released into Spokane's air. Spokane Clean Air uses this information to evaluate the effectiveness of local air pollution control strategies to attain and maintain national air standards. Registration includes reporting annual emissions to Spokane Clean Air and receiving periodic inspections from an Agency inspector.

Is there a fee for registering? Yes, there is an annual fee for maintaining the registration of a business.  Annual registration fees are charged to each registered source. The fee structure is designed so that smaller, less complex sources pay lower fees than larger, more complex sources. The collected fees partially fund the registration program. The fee amount varies depending on the emission levels of the business. The most recent schedule adopted on June 5, 2008 and effective July 1, 2008, is outlined below:

Annual Registration Fee Schedule - Effective July 1, 2008

Registration Fee Categories	Fee	Fee Applicability
1. Facility Fee (a)	$175	Per Source
2. Emissions Fee (b)	$50	Per Ton
3. Emission Point Fee (c)	$55	Per Stack/Point
4. Burn out Oven/Incinerator Fee (d)	$200	Per Source
5. Synthetic Minor Fee (e)	$850	Per Source
6. WEDS fee (f)	$65	Per Hour

(a)  Each source is subject to the fee listed.
(b)  The additional fee listed applies to each ton (rounded to the nearest one-tenth of a ton) of each criteria and toxic air pollutant emitted.
(c)  The additional fee applies to each stack and other emission points. For gasoline stations, each gasoline tank vent is an emission point.
(d)  The additional fee listed applies to each source which operated at least one incinerator or burn out oven during the registration period.
(e)  The additional fee listed applies to each Synthetic Minor (SM) source as defined in The Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency Regulation I, Article I, Section 1.04.
(f)  The additional fee listed applies to each source required by the Agency to submit an annual emissions inventory for entry into the Washington Emission Data System (WEDS). The Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency staff time spent processing and reviewing WEDS will be tracked in 15 minute increments and charged at the hourly rates provided above.

Note:  Pursuant to Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency Regulation I, Article X, Section 10.06.B.1, the Board shall annually review the fee schedule for registered sources and determine if the total projected fee revenue to be collected pursuant to this Section is sufficient to fully recover program costs. Any proposed fee revisions shall include opportunity for public review and comment. Accordingly, the Agency shall account for program costs, including employee costs and overhead. If the Board determines that the total projected fee revenue is either significantly excessive or deficient for this purpose, then the Board shall amend the fee schedule to more accurately recover program costs.

Click here to download "Registering your Business with Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency" information sheet. (pdf file)

What businesses need to register? Existing and new sources of air contaminants must be registered with Spokane Clean Air. Each piece of air pollution control equipment used has specific requirements for its operation and maintenance.

• Existing Facilities need to fill out registration forms, itemizing the processes within the facility and the vents/exhaust points to the outdoor air. Before processes or emission points are added or modified, the facility should contact Spokane Clean Air. A Notice of Construction and Application for Approval may be required.
  

• New Facilities New facilities must contact Spokane Clean Air and follow the Notice of Construction and Application for Approval process, which also serves as the registration form for the facility. {Additional permits may need to be obtained from other agencies, including city and county planning/zoning departments. Agency staff will gladly assist facilities with the registration and Notice of Construction process.

What does a business need to report? Businesses are required to report annually, per Spokane Clean Air's request, information about the source's location, size, operating hours, kinds of processes, throughputs, air contaminant emissions and other information relevant to air pollution.

Does Spokane Clean Air inspect businesses? Yes. Regular inspections of registered sources are conducted to verify compliance with existing air pollution regulations. Many registered facilities are inspected annually, however, the frequency varies depending on agency resources and priorities. In addition, facilities that are not currently registered are inspected in order to determine if they need to be registered.

What should businesses know about installing and modifying equipment?
An approved Notice of Construction must be obtained prior to modifying existing equipment or installing new equipment. Click here for information about Notice of Construction (NOC) and approval process.