Public Participation

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Stakeholder Involvement

The Air Quality Bureau frequently seeks input and recommendations from stakeholders on various planning and rulemaking activities, along with permits that will be issued.

  • Public Input allows opportunities for comment and general information to review Air Quality rulemakings and draft permits. Please see the fact sheet Making Your Comments Count for tips on making effective comments.
  • Meetings are ongoing, regularly scheduled meetings to discuss current and upcoming regulatory issues.
  • Workgroups are established to assist the Air Quality Bureau with specific air quality program implementation activities.

Interested members of the public can view agendas, documents, and general information; meeting and workgroup activities can also be tracked.

Please note that not all categories will have items available for comment at all times. Public meetings being held throughout the state are also available on the State of Iowa public meeting calendar.

Public Input
Meetings - Fee Advisory Groups

Legislation passed by the 86th session of Iowa General Assembly (Senate File 488) established authority to collect application fees for new source air construction permits at major sources. Construction permit application fees will pay for the reasonable direct and indirect costs of implementing and administrating new source review programs for major sources. The legislation directs the DNR to convene a fee advisory group to obtain recommendations regarding these fees for major source air construction permits, including Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) permits. The advisory group will meet at least once annually to consider the fees. For more information contact Jim McGraw at Jim.Mcgraw@dnr.iowa.gov or 515-689-1439.

Construction Permits

* The Iowa DNR is proposing to issue these construction permit(s). Written comments should be directed immediately to the assigned engineer.

Operating Permits

 

Meetings - Air Quality Client Contact

Air Quality Client Contact Meetings focus on current and upcoming air program issues and changes. The meetings provide an open forum for stakeholders and the general public to discuss new state and federal air quality rules or air program developments and are a good source of information for anyone who works with or has an interest in activities related to air quality.

All meetings are open to the public.


Workgroups

The Environmental Protection Commission has approved a proposed air quality rulemaking for formal public comment.


Summary of Proposed Rule Changes

The proposed amendments adopt updated federal new source performance standards (NSPS) and air toxics standards, also known as National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP). Adopting EPA's amendments allows state rules to be consistent with federal regulations and provides certainty to affected businesses and other interested stakeholders. The proposed amendments also adopt minor corrections to federal test methods, a new hazardous air pollutant promulgated by EPA, and the 2015 National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ozone.


Stakeholder Engagement

An informal public input on the draft rulemaking took place from August 16-31, 2022.


Public Comments and Public Hearing Information

The DNR will accept written public comments until 4:30 p.m. on December 5, 2022. Please direct written comments to Jessica Reese McIntyre by email to Jessica.ReeseMcIntyre@dnr.iowa.gov or by mail to Department of Natural Resources, 502 E. 9th Street, Des Moines, Iowa 50319.


A public hearing will be held on Monday, December 5, 2022, from 1:00-2:00 pm. Shortly before the 1:00 start time, participants may access the hearing as follows:

  • Teleconference: 312-626-6799; Meeting ID: 830 0204 4431; Passcode: 309132
  • Video Conference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83002044431

    • To make comments at the public hearing, please email a request to Jessica Reese McIntyre prior to the hearing. Those who wish to make comments at the public hearing will be asked to state their names for the record and to confine their remarks to the subject of the proposed rulemaking.


    Individuals with disabilities or limited English proficiency are encouraged to participate in all DNR activities, including submitting public comments. If a reasonable accommodation or language services are needed to participate, contact the Air Quality Bureau staff member listed or Relay Iowa TTY Service at 800-735-7942 in advance to advise them of your specific needs. DNR's language access and disability nondiscrimination plans are available at https://www.iowadnr.gov/About-DNR/Environmental-Justice.


    Rulemaking Documents
  • Proposed Rulemaking (approved by the Commission on October 11, 2022).

    • The Notice of Intended Action will be published in the Iowa Administrative Bulletin on November 2, 2022, as ARC 6631C.

    For more information, please contact Jessica Reese McIntyre by email at Jessica.ReeseMcIntyre@dnr.iowa.gov or by phone at 515-725-9547.

    The DNR is seeking comments on draft updates to the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) and non-PSD modeling guidelines, and the dispersion modeling checklist. These documents have been updated to incorporate recent changes from EPA and to clarify the guidance based on questions and comments received from stakeholders, including:

    • Reference to EPA's ozone and PM2.5 guidance, including DNR's decision to retain the use of 0.3 as the annual PM2.5 significant impact level.
    • When average emission rates may be used, and how actual operation of existing sources may be accounted for.
    • Use of the source impact analysis to develop the receptor grid in a cumulative impact analysis.
    • Method for including buildings with sloped roofs in the downwash analysis.
    • Determination of visibility impacts due to changes at existing facilities.
    • Submittal requirements for plot plans (replaces Form MI-1, which will be discontinued).
    • Updated submittal methods for electronic files.

    In addition to these updates, both guideline documents were substantially reorganized for readability, and the wording was made consistent between the PSD and non-PSD guidelines where appropriate. Tracked changes are included in the draft documents:

    The original documents will remain available on the Dispersion Modeling webpage for comparison during the comment period.

    Please send any questions or comments by 2/7/2023 to Brad Ashton at Brad.Ashton@dnr.iowa.gov, or by phone at 515-725-9527. The DNR will review any comments that are received and respond directly to the commenter. Comments will be incorporated into the guidance as appropriate before posting final versions of the documents to the website.

    The Air Quality Bureau is convening a stakeholder advisory group to receive input on a potential rule making regarding requiring electronic submittal of air emissions inventory reports, air permit applications, and other air quality documents. An advisory group meeting will be held with Zoom on August 19 at 10 am [air electronic submittals advisory group meeting, add to calendar]. Registration details are included in the meeting agenda.

    For more information please contact Jessica Reese Mcintyre at jessica.reesemcintyre@dnr.iowa.gov or 515-725-9547, or Jim Mcgraw at jim.mcgraw@dnr.iowa.gov or 515-689-1439. For information on the potential rule making, please contact Christine Paulson at christine.paulson@dnr.iowa.gov or 515-725-9510.

    The DNR held a value stream mapping event (VSM) on October 17 – 20, 2016. This was a collaborative event with six industry representatives and was co-facilitated by the Department of Management. The VSM participants thoroughly discussed various opportunities to transform Title V permitting and came to consensus on six key deliverables to improve efficiency:

    • optional pre-application meeting
    • optional pre-technical review meetings
    • improved application forms
    • metrics to determine missing information and customer satisfaction
    • critical information earlier in the process
    • directory for just-in-time sharing of internal data

    These deliverables will relate to receiving better information from our applicants, thereby improving the efficiency of the DNR staff who will no longer spend time collecting information that could have been provided up front.

    Since three of these improvements are more complex in nature, the DNR is asking for the input of additional team members. Two workgroups will be held between January 17 and 20, 2017 to address the optional pre-meetings and improvements to the application forms. The workgroups will consist of a diverse group of twelve to fifteen industry representatives.

    Additional Information:

    If you have comments or questions about the VSM event, please contact Marnie Stein, Title V permit supervisor, at 515-725-9525 or marnie.stein@dnr.iowa.gov.

    Title V Workgroups

    Representatives from eight businesses collaborated with Title V permit writing staff from the DNR and Linn County in two workgroups held between January 17 and 20, 2017. One team addressed optional pre-meetings for hands-on help with the application, likely resulting in a faster application review time a permit that better reflects the needs of the business. The second team simplified the Title V application forms by creating excel spreadsheet versions of some forms, allowing the use of previous versions of the forms, reducing the information requested, and updating the application instructions.