Section 42333 Of Article 1.5. District Review Of A Permit Applicant’s Compliance History From California Health And Safety Code >> Division 26. >> Part 4. >> Chapter 4. >> Article 1.5.
42333
. (a) An air pollution control officer may, pursuant to this
article, deny a permit, refuse to renew a permit, or specify
additional permit conditions to ensure compliance with applicable
rules and regulations, if the officer determines that each of the
following has occurred:
(1) In the three-year period preceding the date of application,
the applicant has violated laws or regulations identified in
subdivision (a) of Section 42331 and subdivision (a) of Section 42332
resulting in either excessive emissions or violations at a facility
which is required to be permitted but is not permitted, owned or
operated by the applicant.
(2) A notice of violation was issued for those violations.
(3) A variance was not in effect with respect to those violations.
(4) The violations demonstrate a recurring pattern of
noncompliance or pose or have posed a significant risk to the public
health or safety or to the environment.
(5) Notice and an opportunity for an office conference was
provided pursuant to Section 42334.
(b) This section does not apply to a permit to operate, or the
renewal of such a permit, issued by an air pollution control officer
for a facility which is owned or operated by an applicant, unless the
applicant has met the criteria set forth in paragraphs (1) to (4),
inclusive, of subdivision (a) at the source in question at that
facility.
(c) For the purposes of determining a permit action under this
section, the air pollution control officer shall take into
consideration the size and complexity of the applicant's operations
and the number of permits held by the applicant.
(d) The air pollution control officer's determination of whether
to deny a permit shall be based upon all of the following:
(1) Whether the emissions violations forming the basis for the
denial were the result of circumstances beyond the reasonable control
of the applicant and could not have been prevented by the exercise
of reasonable care.
(2) Whether a permit denial is not an appropriate action given the
severity of the violations, or that the denial is not supported by
the applicant's overall compliance history.
(3) Whether a permit denial is not an appropriate action because
the equipment type, operational character, or emissions capacity of
the sources where the violations occurred are significantly different
than that of the source for which the permit is being sought.
(4) Whether the violation has been corrected in a timely fashion
or reasonable progress is being made.
(5) Whether a permit denial is not an appropriate action because a
variance has been granted with respect to those violations.
(6) Whether the violations demonstrate a recurring pattern of
noncompliance or pose or have posed a significant risk to the public
health or safety or to the environment.
(7) Whether notice and an opportunity for an office conference was
provided pursuant to Section 42334.
(e) A permit denial pursuant to subdivision (a) which is based
solely upon violations which have not been admitted by the applicant
or otherwise established by law shall be set aside by a hearing board
if a hearing has been requested by the applicant pursuant to Section
42302, unless the air pollution control officer, following the
presentation of substantial evidence and the applicant's opportunity
to rebut the evidence, proves that the violation did occur, and that
denial is supported by the applicant's overall compliance history.