Regulations last checked for updates: Nov 25, 2024

Title 40 - Protection of Environment last revised: Nov 21, 2024
§ 63.7957 - What definitions apply to this subpart?

Terms used in this subpart are defined in the CAA, in § 63.2, and in this section. If a term is defined both in this section and in another subpart cross-referenced by this subpart, then the term will have the meaning given in this section for purposes of this subpart.

Boiler means an enclosed combustion device that extracts useful energy in the form of steam and is not an incinerator or a process heater.

Bypass means diverting a process vent or closed vent system stream to the atmosphere such that it does not first pass through an emission control device.

Closed vent system means a system that is not open to the atmosphere and is composed of hard-piping, ductwork, connections, and, if necessary, fans, blowers, or other flow-inducing device that conveys gas or vapor from an emissions point to a control device.

Closure device means a cap, hatch, lid, plug, seal, valve, or other type of fitting that prevents or reduces air pollutant emissions to the atmosphere by blocking an opening in a cover when the device is secured in the closed position. Closure devices include devices that are detachable from the cover (e.g., a sampling port cap), manually operated (e.g., a hinged access lid or hatch), or automatically operated (e.g., a spring-loaded pressure relief valve).

Container means a portable unit used to hold material. Examples of containers include, but are not limited to drums, dumpsters, roll-off boxes, bulk cargo containers commonly known as portable tanks or totes, cargo tank trucks, dump trucks, and rail cars. For the purpose of this subpart, a front-end loader, excavator, backhoe, or other type of self-propelled excavation equipment is not a container.

Continuous record means documentation of data values measured at least once every 15 minutes and recorded at the frequency specified in this subpart.

Continuous recorder means a data recording device that either records an instantaneous data value at least once every 15 minutes or records 15-minutes or more frequent block averages.

Control device means equipment used recovering, removing, oxidizing, or destroying organic vapors. Examples of such equipment include but are not limited to carbon adsorbers, condensers, vapor incinerators, flares, boilers, and process heaters.

Cover means a device that prevents or reduces air pollutant emissions to the atmosphere by forming a continuous barrier over the remediation material managed in a unit. A cover may have openings (such as access hatches, sampling ports, gauge wells) that are necessary for operation, inspection, maintenance, and repair of the unit on which the cover is used. A cover may be a separate piece of equipment which can be detached and removed from the unit (such as a tarp) or a cover may be formed by structural features permanently integrated into the design of the unit.

Deviation means any instance in which an affected source subject to this subpart, or an owner or operator of such a source:

(1) Fails to meet any requirement or obligation established by this subpart, including but not limited to any emissions limitation (including any operating limit), or work practice standard;

(2) Fails to meet any term or condition that is adopted to implement an applicable requirement in this subpart and that is included in the operating permit for any affected source required to obtain such a permit; or

(3) Fails to meet any emissions limitation, (including any operating limit), or work practice standard in this subpart regardless of whether or not such failure is permitted by this subpart.

Emissions limitation means any emissions limit, opacity limit, operating limit, or visible emissions limit.

Emissions point means an individual tank, surface impoundment, container, oil-water, organic-water separator, transfer system, vent, or enclosure.

Enclosure means a structure that surrounds a tank or container, captures organic vapors emitted from the tank or container, and vents the captured vapor through a closed vent system to a control device.

Equipment means each pump, pressure relief device, sampling connection system, valve, and connector used in remediation material service at a facility.

External floating roof means a pontoon-type or double-deck type cover that rests on the liquid surface in a tank with no fixed roof.

Facility means all contiguous or adjoining property that is under common control including properties that are separated only by a road or other public right-of-way. Common control includes properties that are owned, leased, or operated by the same entity, parent entity, subsidiary, or any combination thereof. A unit or group of units within a contiguous property that are not under common control (e.g., a wastewater treatment unit located at the facility but is owned by a different company) is a different facility.

Fixed roof means a cover that is mounted on a unit in a stationary position and does not move with fluctuations in the level of the liquid managed in the unit.

Flame zone means the portion of the combustion chamber in a boiler or process heater occupied by the flame envelope.

Floating roof means a cover consisting of a double deck, pontoon single deck, or internal floating cover which rests upon and is supported by the liquid being contained, and is equipped with a continuous seal.

Flow indicator means a device that indicates whether gas is flowing, or whether the valve position would allow gas to flow in a bypass line.

Force majeure event means a release of HAP directly to the atmosphere from a pressure relief device that is demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Administrator to result from an event beyond the owner or operator's control, such as natural disasters; acts of war or terrorism; loss of a utility external to the Site Remediation unit (e.g., external power curtailment), excluding power curtailment due to an interruptible service agreement; and fire or explosion originating at a near or adjoining facility outside of the Site Remediation affected source that impacts the Site Remediation affected source's ability to operate.

Hard-piping means pipe or tubing that is manufactured and properly installed according to relevant standards and good engineering practices.

Individual drain system means a stationary system used to convey wastewater streams or residuals to a remediation material management unit or to discharge or disposal. The term includes hard-piping, all drains and junction boxes, together with their associated sewer lines and other junction boxes (e.g., manholes, sumps, and lift stations) conveying wastewater streams or residuals. For the purpose of this subpart, an individual drain system is not a drain and collection system that is designed and operated for the sole purpose of collecting rainfall runoff (e.g., stormwater sewer system) and is segregated from all other individual drain systems.

Internal floating roof means a cover that rests or floats on the liquid surface (but not necessarily in complete contact with it inside a tank that has a fixed roof).

Maximum HAP vapor pressure means the sum of the individual HAP equilibrium partial pressure exerted by remediation material at the temperature equal to either: the monthly average temperature as reported by the National Weather Service when the remediation material is stored or treated at ambient temperature; or the highest calendar-month average temperature of the remediation material when the remediation material is stored at temperatures above the ambient temperature or when the remediation material is stored or treated at temperatures below the ambient temperature. For the purpose of this subpart, maximum HAP vapor pressure is determined using the procedures specified in § 63.7944.

No detectable organic emissions means no escape of organics to the atmosphere as determined using the procedure specified in § 63.694(k).

Oil-water separator means a separator as defined for this subpart that is used to separate oil from water.

Operating parameter value means a minimum or maximum value established for a control device or treatment process parameter which, if achieved by itself or in combination with one or more other operating parameter values, determines that an owner or operator has complied with an applicable emissions limitation or standard.

Organic-water separator means a separator as defined for this subpart that is used to separate organics from water.

Pressure release actuation event means the emission of materials resulting from the system pressure being greater than the set pressure of the pressure relief device. This release can be one release or a series of releases over a short time period.

Pressure relief device or valve means a safety device used to prevent operating pressures from exceeding the maximum allowable working pressure of the process equipment. A common pressure relief device is a spring-loaded pressure relief valve. Devices that are actuated either by a pressure of less than or equal to 2.5 pounds per square inch gauge or by a vacuum are not pressure relief devices.

Process heater means an enclosed combustion device that transfers heat released by burning fuel directly to process streams or to heat transfer liquids other than water.

Process vent means any open-ended pipe, stack, duct, or other opening intended to allow the passage of gases, vapors, or fumes to the atmosphere and this passage is caused by mechanical means (such as compressors, vacuum-producing systems or fans) or by process-related means (such as volatilization produced by heating). For the purposes of this subpart, a process vent is neither a pressure relief device (as defined in this section) nor a stack, duct or other opening used to exhaust combustion products from a boiler, furnace, heater, incinerator, or other combustion device.

Radioactive mixed waste means a material that contains both hazardous waste subject to RCRA and source, special nuclear, or by-product material subject to the Atomic Energy Act of 1954.

Remediation material means a material that contains one or more of the HAP listed in Table 1 of this subpart, and this material is one of the following:

(1) A material found in naturally occurring media such as soil, groundwater, surface water, sediments, or a mixture of such materials with liquids, sludges, or solids which is inseparable by simple mechanical removal processes and is made up primarily of media. This material does not include debris as defined in 40 CFR 268.2.

(2) A material found in intact or substantially intact containers, tanks, storage piles, or other storage units that requires clean up because this material poses a reasonable potential threat to contaminating media. Examples of these materials include, but are not limited to, solvents, oils, paints, and other volatile or semi-volatile organic liquids found in buried drums, cans, or other containers; gasoline, fuel oil, or other fuels in leaking underground storage tanks; and solid materials containing volatile or semi-volatile organics in unused or abandoned piles. Remediation material is not a waste or residue generated by routine equipment maintenance activities performed at a facility such as, but not limited to, tank bottoms and sludges removed during tank cleanouts; sludges and sediments removed from active wastewater treatment tanks, surface impoundments, or lagoons; spent catalyst removed from process equipment; residues removed from air pollution control equipment; and debris removed during heat exchanger and pipeline cleanouts.

Remediation material management unit means a tank, container, surface impoundment, oil-water separator, organic-water separator, or transfer system used to remove, destroy, degrade, transform, immobilize, or otherwise manage remediation material.

Remediation material service means any time when a pump, compressor, agitator, pressure relief device, sampling connection system, open-ended valve or line, valve, connector, or instrumentation system contains or contacts remediation material.

Responsible official means responsible official as defined in 40 CFR 70.2.

Separator means a remediation material management unit, generally a tank, used to separate oil or organics from water. A separator consists of not only the separation unit but also the forebay and other separator basins, skimmers, weirs, grit chambers, sludge hoppers, and bar screens that are located directly after the individual drain system and prior to any additional treatment units such as an air flotation unit clarifier or biological treatment unit. Examples of a separator include, but are not limited to, an API separator, parallel-plate interceptor, and corrugated-plate interceptor with the associated ancillary equipment.

Site remediation means one or more activities or processes used to remove, destroy, degrade, transform, immobilize, or otherwise manage remediation material. The monitoring or measuring of contamination levels in environmental media using wells or by sampling is not considered to be a site remediation.

Sludge means sludge as defined in § 260.10 of this chapter.

Soil means unconsolidated earth material composing the superficial geologic strata (material overlying bedrock), consisting of clay, silt, sand, or gravel size particles (sizes as classified by the U.S. Soil Conservation Service), or a mixture of such materials with liquids, sludges, or solids which is inseparable by simple mechanical removal processes and is made up primarily of soil.

Stabilization process means any physical or chemical process used to either reduce the mobility of contaminants in media or eliminate free liquids as determined by Test Method 9095—Paint Filter Liquids Test in “Test Methods for Evaluating Solid Waste, Physical/Chemical Methods,” EPA Publication No. SW-846, Third Edition, September 1986, as amended by Update I, November 15, 1992. (As an alternative, you may use any more recent, updated version of Method 9095 approved by the EPA). A stabilization process includes mixing remediation material with binders or other materials, and curing the resulting remediation material and binder mixture. Other synonymous terms used to refer to this process are fixation or solidification. A stabilization process does not include the adding of absorbent materials to the surface of remediation material, without mixing, agitation, or subsequent curing, to absorb free liquid.

Surface impoundment means a unit that is a natural topographical depression, man-made excavation, or diked area formed primarily of earthen materials (although it may be lined with man-made materials), which is designed to hold an accumulation of liquids. Examples of surface impoundments include holding, storage, settling, and aeration pits, ponds, and lagoons.

Tank means a stationary unit that is constructed primarily of nonearthen materials (such as wood, concrete, steel, fiberglass, or plastic) which provide structural support and is designed to hold an accumulation of liquids or other materials.

Temperature monitoring device means a piece of equipment used to monitor temperature and having an accuracy of ±1 percent of the temperature being monitored expressed in degrees Celsius (°C) or ±1.2 degrees °C, whichever value is greater.

Transfer system means a stationary system for which the predominant function is to convey liquids or solid materials from one point to another point within a waste management operation or recovery operation. For the purpose of this subpart, the conveyance of material using a container (as defined for this subpart) or a self-propelled vehicle (e.g., a front-end loader) is not a transfer system. Examples of a transfer system include but are not limited to a pipeline, an individual drain system, a gravity-operated conveyor (such as a chute), and a mechanically-powered conveyor (such as a belt or screw conveyor).

Treatment process means a process in which remediation material is physically, chemically, thermally, or biologically treated to destroy, degrade, or remove hazardous air pollutants contained in the material. A treatment process can be composed of a single unit (e.g., a steam stripper) or a series of units (e.g., a wastewater treatment system). A treatment process can be used to treat one or more remediation material streams at the same time.

Volatile organic hazardous air pollutant (VOHAP) concentration means the fraction by weight of the HAP listed in Table 1 of this subpart that are contained in the remediation material as measured using Method 305, 40 CFR part 63, appendix A and expressed in terms of parts per million (ppm). As an alternative to using Method 305, 40 CFR part 63, appendix A, you may determine the HAP concentration of the remediation material using any one of the other test methods specified in § 63.694(b)(2)(ii). When a test method specified in § 63.694(b)(2)(ii) other than Method 305 in 40 CFR part 63, appendix A is used to determine the speciated HAP concentration of the contaminated material, the individual compound concentration may be adjusted by the corresponding fm305 listed in Table 1 of this subpart to determine a VOHAP concentration.

Work practice standard means any design, equipment, work practice, or operational standard, or combination thereof, that is promulgated pursuant to section 112(h) of the CAA.

[68 FR 58190, Oct. 8, 2003, as amended at 71 FR 69019, Nov. 29, 2006; 85 FR 41711, July 10, 2020]
authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401
source: 57 FR 61992, Dec. 29, 1992, unless otherwise noted.
cite as: 40 CFR 63.7957