Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency’s (SRCAA) Board of Directors has a long-standing financial goal of full cost recovery for SRCAA’s fee-based programs. Rising costs to administer fee-based programs have prompted SRCAA to propose changes to its Consolidated Fee Schedule, including:
- Annual Registration Program fees -Section 10.06(B)
- Notice of Construction and Portable Source permit fee and hourly fee rates, Section 10.07
- Miscellaneous Fees, Sections 10.08(A)
- Outdoor Burning permit review hourly rate, Section 10.13
- Air Operating Permit program – redistribution of fee components, Section 10.06(C)
The public is invited to review and comment on the proposed updates. Below is a redlined version of the proposed changes. The public comment period and hearing date are listed further down.
Consolidated Fee Schedule – redlined with proposed updates
Details regarding the proposed amendments to SRCAAs Consolidated Fee Schedule:
- Annual Registration Program, Section 10.06(B). A shortfall of $128,000 is projected for this current Fiscal Year (FY2023). The shortfall will continue to increase each year if fees are not adjusted. Registration fees in were last revised in 2016. Amendments to the fee schedule are necessary to facilitate the goal of full cost recovery. The proposed fee adjustment of 15% is projected to recover $73,000, or 57% of the shortfall. Registration fee categories, proposed changes:
| Registration Fee Categories | Current Fee | Proposed Fee | Applicability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Facility Fee | $264 | $304 | Per Source |
| Emissions Fee | $83 | $96 | Per Ton |
| Emissions Point Fee | $83 | $96 | Per Stack/Point |
| Synthetic Minor (SM) Fee | $1,988 | $2,285 | Per Source (SM sources only) |
- Notice of Construction (NOC) and Portable Source Permit (PSP):
- Section 10.07 – These permit programs are near full cost recovery. SRCAA is proactively addressing the projected program cost increases and proposing to adjust the permit fees accordingly. The NOC/PSP fees were last revised in 2018, effective in 2019. Proposed fee increases of 10% should enable the programs to operate at full cost recovery.
- Section 10.07(A)(1)(c) – It is proposed that the hourly rate fee for additional NOC/PSP review hours be increased from $98 to $108/hour. These are for hours that exceed the number of hours covered by the permit fee.
- Section 10.07(A)(2) – It is proposed that the minimum fee for permit revision be increased from $294 to $324, which includes three hours of review time. Staff time spent on revision review beyond three hours are proposed to increase from $98 to $108/hour.
- Miscellaneous Fees, Section 10.08(A):
- Emission Reduction Credit: Hourly fee rate increase from $98/hour to $108/hour.
- Variance Request: Proposed to be three times the hourly rate, and to add a descriptor that the filing fee includes three hours staff review time. This structure will change the Variance Request filing fee to increase from a flat $250 to $324 and include three hours of review time. Over three hours, the hourly rate increases from $91/hour to $108/hour.
- Alternative Opacity: Hourly fee rate increase from $98/hour to $108/hour.
- Other: Hourly fee rate increase from $98/hour to $108/hour.
- Outdoor Burning Permit fee, Section 10.13(C). The “Other Outdoor Burning Permit” fee is proposed to increase from $91 to $108 and includes one hour of review time. Staff time spent beyond one hour is proposed to increase from $91/hour to $108/hour.
- Annual Air Operating Permit (AOP) fees, Section 10.06(C). The AOP program is a federal program administered by SRCAA. There are currently seven industrial facilities in the AOP program in Spokane County. The program operates at full cost-recovery per federal mandate. The AOP fees have three main components: base fee, emissions fee ($/ton), and time fee (based on number of staff hours spent on facility during most recent fiscal year). The goal of the AOP fee structure is to align the emissions fee and the time fee charged to facilities. The AOP emission fee was revised in 2013, to $58/ton. To align the emission fee and time fee components, it is necessary to increase the emission fee from $58/ton to $75/ton. This will not result in an increase in the total fees charged to the AOP facilities; rather the fee distribution will be more heavily weighted on the emissions fee.
Assistance: If you like assistance in determining how the proposed registration fees might look like for your registered facility, please call (509) 477-4727 and ask to speak with an engineer, or send an email to Engineer@spokanecleanair.org.
Comments: Written comments will be accepted until the close of the public hearing on October 6, 2022. Written comments may be submitted by mail or email: SRCAA, Attention Margee Chambers, 1610 S. Technology Blvd., Suite 101, Spokane, WA 99224, or PublicComment@SpokaneCleanAir.org.
Public Hearing: A public hearing will be held during SRCAA’s regularly scheduled monthly meeting, 9:30 a.m., Thursday, October 6, 2022. Meetings are held at SRCAA’s office, 1610 S. Technology Blvd. , Suite 101, Spokane, WA 99224. Virtual/call-in option for the meeting/hearing will be provided at least one week prior to the hearing at www.SpokaneCleanAir.org.
Please note that under the Washington State Public Records Act (Chapter 42.56 RCW), your written and oral comments, attachments and associated contact information (e.g. your name, address, email, etc.) become part of the public record and can be released to the public upon request.
