Notice of Public Comment Period - Draft Air Quality Permit 7423 - Lucy Webb Hayes National Training School for Deaconesses and Missionaries

PUBLIC NOTICE

Draft Air Quality Permit 7423, Lucy Webb Hayes National Training School for Deaconesses and Missionaries D/B/A Sibley Memorial Hospital
Construction and operation of a 42 MMBTU/hr dual fuel (natural gas and No. 2 fuel oil) boiler at Sibley Memorial Hospital, 5255 Loughboro Road NW, Washington DC.

Notice is hereby given that, pursuant to 20 DCMR §210, the Air Quality Division (AQD) of the Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE), located at 1200 First Street NE, 5th Floor, Washington DC, 20002, proposes to issue air quality permit No. 7423 to the Lucy Webb Hayes National Training School for Deaconesses and Missionaries D/B/A Sibley Memorial Hospital to construct and operate a temporary dual fuel-fired (natural gas and No. 2 fuel oil) boiler, rated at 42 MMBTU/hr heat input, and located at Sibley Memorial Hospital, 5255 Loughboro Road NW, Washington, DC 20016. The contact person for the facility is Caroline Shafa, MHA, Vice President of Operations, at (202) 537-4680 or [email protected].

Emission Estimates

The estimated maximum annual emissions from the 42 MMBTU/hr dual fuel-fired (natural gas and No. 2 fuel-oil) boiler, using the highest-polluting allowable fuel configuration for each pollutant, are expected to be as follows:

† PM Total includes both filterable PM and condensable PM. The total emissions factor is calculated using filterable PM is from manufacturer provided data and condensable PM from U.S. EPA AP‐ 42 Chapter 1, Section 4, Table 1.4‐2. Conservatively assumed PM=PM10=PM2.5.

Emission Limitations

The proposed emission limits for the equipment are as follows (from Condition II of the permit):

1. The boiler shall not emit pollutants in excess of those specified in the following table [20 DCMR 201 and 20 DCMR 205]:

Boiler Emission Limits for Unit CU-TEMP-1
Pollutant	Short-Term Limit (Natural Gas) (lb/hr)	Short-Term Limit (No. 2 Fuel Oil) (lb/hr)
Total Particulate Matter (PM Total)†	0.55	0.69
Carbon Monoxide (CO)	1.51	1.51
Oxides of Nitrogen (NOX)	1.53	5.01
Sulfur Dioxide (SO2)	0.02	0.38

PM Total includes both filterable PM and condensable PM. The total emissions factor is calculated using filterable PM is from manufacturer provided data and condensable PM from U.S. EPA AP‐ 42 Chapter 1, Section 4, Table 1.4‐2. Conservatively assumed PM=PM10=PM2.5.

2. Oxides of Nitrogen (NOX) emissions from the boiler shall not exceed [20 DCMR 205]:

    a. 0.05 pounds per million BTU (lbs/MMBTU) based on a calendar day average, on days when the equipment is powered exclusively by natural gas. [20 DCMR 805.5(e)(3)(C)]; and
    b. 0.12 pounds per million BTU (lbs/MMBTU) based on a calendar day average, on days when the equipment is powered by fuel oil or a combination of fuel oil and natural gas. [20 DCMR 805.5(e)(3)(B)]

3. Visible emissions shall not be emitted into the outdoor atmosphere from the boiler except that discharges shall be permitted for two (2) minutes during any startup, cleaning, adjustment of combustion or operational controls, or regeneration of emission control equipment, provided that such discharge shall not exceed the following opacities (unaveraged) [20 DCMR 606.1 and 606.2]:

   a. When burning exclusively natural gas, twenty percent (20%); and
   b. When burning fuel oil or a combination of fuel oil and natural gas, twenty-seven percent (27%).

4. In addition to the requirements of Condition (c), whenever the boiler is operating using fuel oil, it shall not emit any gases into the atmosphere of gases that exhibit greater than twenty percent (20%) opacity (6-minute average), except for one 6-minute period per hour of not more than twenty-seven percent (27%) opacity. This standard applies at all times except during periods of startup, shutdown, or malfunction. [40 CFR 60.43c(c) and (d)]

5. Total suspended particulate matter (TSP) emissions from the boiler shall not be greater than 0.07 pounds per million BTU (lbs/MMBTU). [20 DCMR 600.1]

6. NOX and CO emissions shall not exceed those achieved with the performance of an annual tune-up on the boiler. [20 DCMR 805.1(a), 20 DCMR 805.5(b), and 20 DCMR 805.9(a) and (b)]

7. An emission into the atmosphere of odorous or other air pollutants from any source in any quantity and of any characteristic, and duration which is, or is likely to be injurious to the public health or welfare, or which interferes with the reasonable enjoyment of life or property is prohibited. [20 DCMR 903.1]

Violation of the requirements of this condition that occur as a result of unavoidable malfunction, despite the conscientious employment of control practices, shall be an affirmative defense for which the owner or operator shall bear the burden of proof. A malfunction shall not be considered unavoidable if the owner or operator could have taken, but did not take, appropriate steps to eliminate the malfunction within a reasonable time, as determined by the Department. [20 DCMR 903.13(b)]

Note: This condition is District enforceable only.

The permit application and supporting documentation, along with the draft permit are available for public inspection at AQD and copies may be made available between the hours of 9:00 A.M. and 5:00 P.M. Monday through Friday. Interested parties wishing to view these documents should provide their names, addresses, telephone numbers and affiliation, if any, to Stephen S. Ours at (202) 498-8143 or [email protected]. Copies of the draft permit and related technical support memorandum are also available in the attachments section below.

Interested persons may submit written comments or may request a hearing on this subject within 30 days of publication of this notice. The written comments must also include the person’s name, telephone number, affiliation, if any, mailing address, and a statement outlining the air quality issues in dispute and any facts underscoring those air quality issues. All relevant comments will be considered before taking final action on the permit application.

Comments on the proposed permit and any request for a public hearing should be addressed to:

Stephen S. Ours Chief
Permitting Branch - Air Quality Division

Department of Energy and Environment
1200 First Street NE, 5th Floor
Washington DC 20002

[email protected]

No comments or hearing requests submitted after January 12, 2026 will be accepted.

For more information, please contact Stephen S. Ours at (202) 498-8143.