RACT/BACT/LAER Clearinghouse (RBLC)

Introduction

The RACT/BACT/LAER Clearinghouse (RBLC) receives, stores, and facilitates the search for air pollution control information included in New Source Review (NSR) preconstruction air permits. The RBLC is required by Clean Air Act (CAA) sections 108(h) and 173(d). 

RACT, BACT, and LAER are acronyms for different air pollution control technology requirements under the CAA. 

• RACT, or Reasonable Available Control Technology (defined at CAA section 172(c)(1)), is an air pollution control technology requirement in State, Federal or Tribal Implementation Plans for existing sources in areas that are not meeting the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (i.e., nonattainment areas).
• BACT, or Best Available Control Technology (defined at CAA section 169(3)) is an air pollution control technology requirement for new or modified major stationary sources of air pollution proposing to locate or already located in areas meeting the NAAQS (i.e., attainment areas).
• LAER, or Lowest Achievable Emission Rate (defined at CAA section 171(3)), is an air pollution control technology requirement for new or modified major stationary sources of air pollution proposing to locate or already located in areas not meeting the NAAQS (i.e., nonattainment areas). 

RBLC Search Dashboard

The RBLC Search Dashboard allows users to search for air pollution control technology and related information included in air permits using two separate tabs:

• Permit Keyword Search  - performs a search when users enter a keyword describing the facility, process or control technology. Results with exact matches to the keyword are returned and displayed at the facility/permit level. Results can be further refined by entering a pollutant and/or facility state. 
• Emission Limit Search - performs a search when users enter search criteria such as pollutant, process name, control method, facility state and facility name. At least one of the fields must be filled to complete the search. Results are returned at the emission limit level, meaning each row of the results table corresponds to an emission limit for a given pollutant within a permit. Since a permit may have multiple pollutants and emission limits, there may be multiple result rows per facility permit.

Please note that the RBLC search dashboard is not currently designed to search for RACT or Reasonably Available Control Measures (RACM). Information about RACT or RACM is only available in the RACM/RACT Compendium of Control Measures at the Menu of Control Measures for NAAQS Implementation webpage. 

RBLC Search Dashboard Results Reports

Permit Keyword Search results can be exported to Microsoft Excel in two formats:

• Export Results Table to Excel - includes the results for a select number of data fields for each permit action entered into the RBLC. It includes the facility name, process names, pollutants, control methods, permitting authority, final permit issuance date, the date the entry was last updated and a URL link that includes the permit action associated information such as the draft permit, fact sheet, response to comments document and final permit if that information is available for that particular permit action. 
• Export Emission Limits to Excel - includes data for up to 72 different fields for each permit action entered into the RBLC. Includes all the fields in the export results table to excel plus other fields such as numerical emission limits, units of measurement of such limits and whether it has been confirmed that the facility was indeed built as permitted (i.e., compliance verified).

Emission Limit Search results can only be exported to Microsoft Excel under the "Export Emission Limits to Excel" format.

Permit associated information (i.e., draft permit, fact sheet, technical support document, response to comments document, final permit, etc.) for each RBLC entry for which that information is available can be found through the links provided in both the Export Results Table to Excel and Export Emissions Limits to Excel files or in EPA's Permit Hub. 

RBLC Questions and Data Entry Support

The EPA has ten Regional offices that cover all of the United States and its territories. If you have any questions about searching or reporting data to the RBLC or if you are a state, local or tribal permitting authority is interested in submitting air pollution control information and associated permit data to the RBLC using EPA's Central Data Exchange, please contact any of the following  EPA regional staff for assistance. 

• Region 01 - Undine Kipka
• Region 02 - Jonathan Yoon
• Region 03 - Casey Diaz
• Region 04 - Kathleen Musmanno
• Region 05 - Priyanka Painuly
• Region 06 - Jonathan Ehrhart
• Region 07 - Rumela Bhadra
• Region 08 - James Floyd
• Region 09 - Christa Leska
• Region 10 - Valerie Gardner