FY 2016 Appropriation

The mission of the Division of Air Quality is to achieve and maintain levels of air quality that protect public health, property, and vegetation in Utah from the effects of air pollution. In order to accomplish its mission, this division is divided into the following three branches: (1) Compliance Branch, (2) Permitting Branch, and (3) Planning Branch.

Funding History
Appropriation Overview

During the 2015 General Session, the Legislature appropriated for Fiscal Year 2016, $14,944,900 from all sources for Air Quality. This is a 2 percent reduction from Fiscal Year 2015 revised estimated amounts from all sources. The total includes $5,626,700 from the General/Education Funds, a reduction of 19.7 percent from revised Fiscal Year 2015 estimates.

Appropriation Adjustments

In addition to statewide compensation and internal service fund cost increases, the following appropriation adjustments were made during the 2015 General Session:

DescriptionOngoingOne-Time Air Quality Attorney General Support$135,000$0
OngoingOne-TimeFinancing Source
$135,000$0General Fund
Since 2009, the Utah Air Quality Board has finalized 40 new rules. Requests for air quality permits are increasing, and the number of air quality decisions being appealed is increasing. The Division of Air Quality seeks additional assistance from the Attorney General in order to provide adequate legal review and support in its operations.
Air Quality Minor Source Compliance$360,300$0
OngoingOne-TimeFinancing Source
$360,300$0General Fund
The number of new permits issued to oil and gas sources by the Division of Air Quality is increasing each year. In order to maintain the current inspection standard of once every three years, the Division would need additional staff.
Air Quality Minor Source Compliance - FY 2015 Supplemental$0$43,600
OngoingOne-TimeFinancing Source
$0$43,600General Fund, One-time
The number of new permits issued to oil and gas sources by the Division of Air Quality is increasing each year. In order to maintain the current inspection standard of once every three years, the Division would need additional staff.
Air Quality Research$0$200,000
OngoingOne-TimeFinancing Source
$0$200,000General Fund, One-time
The Division of Air Quality plans to continue air quality research including along the Wasatch Front and in the Uinta Basin. Research is needed to understand the chemistry and meteorology that cause and exacerbate air pollution in Utah's unique environment.
Attorney General Dedicated Credit Adjustments$31,200$0
OngoingOne-TimeFinancing Source
$31,200$0Federal Funds
This item designates additional funding appropriated to an agency to pay higher costs for Attorney General services, due to statewide and AG-specific compensation increases.

Compliance with Air Quality Standards

The number of air sheds in metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) representing the state's population centers that meet all federal air quality standards annually. St. George, Provo-Orem, Salt Lake, Ogden-Clearfield, and Logan are the targeted MSA air sheds in the state. The EPA revised the standard for PM2.5 in 2006. Utah is developing a plan to bring four air sheds back into compliance by 2019.

Compliance with National Ambient Air Quality Standards

Permit Issuance

UCA code 19-2-108 requires the director of the Division of Air Quality to issue permits with 180 days. However, the Governor's Balanced Scorecard goal was changed from 120 days to 110 days following a process improvement evaluation in 2011.

Permit Issuance

Compliance Inspections

Routine compliance inspections are targeted based on an annual compliance monitoring strategy (CMS). This measure ensures that scheduled inspections are performed as assigned.

Targeted Inspections Performed

Other Air Quality Performance Measures

In addition to the key performance measures listed above, the division reported the following performances measures for FY 2014:

  • operated an ambient air monitoring network, providing pollution information for daily air quality status from 25 air monitoring locations;
  • developed State Implementation Plans to bring three areas back into compliance with national ambient air quality standards; and,
  • reviewed and issued air permits for 166 new or modifying sources.

A description of each section within the three branches within the Division of Air Quality follows:

Compliance Branch

    Major Source Compliance Section: This section is responsible for ensuring that the requirements of the Utah Air Conservation Act are met for all major sources. This is done by the inspection and enforcement activities of all major industrial air pollution sources located throughout the state. The division regulates around 100 major sources.
    Minor Source Compliance Section: This section is responsible for ensuring that the requirements of the Utah Air Conservation Act are met for all minor sources that have been issued an approval order. This is done by the inspection and enforcement activities of all of these sources located throughout the state. The division regulates over 1,800 minor sources through approval orders.
    Air Toxics, Lead-Based Paint, Asbestos, and Small Business Environmental Assistance Program Section (ATLAS): The ATLAS section's mission is to investigate and ensure compliance with the Utah Air Quality Rules. This is done through site inspections, asbestos and lead-based paint project notification reviews, and technical assistance to the public and the regulated community, and through enforcement actions.
Permitting Branch
    Major and Minor New Source Review Sections: The functions of these sections are mainly related to regulation of the emissions of air contaminants from "stationary sources" (industrial sources). This involves reviewing the design of all new or modified stationary sources to determine that the source will be able to comply with the Utah Administrative Code (UAC) and the Federal Air Quality Regulations. It is accomplished by issuing a construction permit called an Approval Order. To facilitate the workload, the New Source Review program is divided between the Major New Source Review and Minor New Source Review Sections.
    Operating Permit Section: The Federal Clean Air Act requires a program be developed in all states to issue renewable operating permits to specific large or major air pollution sources and provide special technical assistance.
Planning Branch This branch is responsible for the development and maintenance of the State Implementation Plan (SIP) for the control of carbon monoxide, ozone, sulfur oxides, and particulate matter.
    Air Monitoring Section: This section is responsible for the collection of accurate and precise ambient air data in Utah for use by local, state, and federal agencies.
    Technical Analysis Section: This section is responsible for a wide variety of tasks, including dispersion modeling, geographic information systems (GIS), and the collection and evaluation of emission inventories. The section also conducts special air quality studies for important state issues such as oil and gas development, Snake Valley aquifer pumping, and quality growth planning.
    Mobile Sources Section: This section is responsible for issues dealing with emissions from vehicles.
The Air Quality Division is responsible to measure air quality as outlined by the federal air quality health standards. Recently, the division monitored violations of the particulate matter due to changes to the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS). The division is completing the four-year process to develop a new plan to bring the areas within Utah that are violating the NAAQS back into attainment.

Recent air monitoring for ozone in the Uintah Basin has identified concerns with the levels measured during the winter months. The division led efforts to understand the chemistry and processes that result in elevated levels associated with oil and gas producing basins. In 2012, Duchesne and Uintah counties were accepted into EPA's Ozone Advance program. Work is underway with the counties and producers to proactively identify reasonable strategies to reduce the ozone levels. Monitoring stations were established in Roosevelt and Vernal to provide air quality forecasting and current conditions for public health notifications.

The DAQ-led 2013/14 multi-agency study to understand and improve wintertime ozone in the Uinta Basin continued, and valuable information was collected on emissions inventories and sources.

The Air Quality Board adopted a General Approval Order (GAO) rule (R307-401-19) that allows DAQ engineers to develop a single GAO for a category of similar types of smaller sources and would go through the normal public review process being issued.

DEQ launched an online Permit Wizard. This online tool will assist those individuals and companies involved in activities regulated by DAQ to identify the permits, licenses, registrations, and certifications required for those activities.

The Utah Air application for Android and Apple mobile devices was developed. This application provides users with pollutant levels throughout the state as well as advises users of air quality action alerts. To date, the application has been downloaded to over 15,000 devices.

Intent Language

HB0003: Item 110

Under the terms of 63J-1-603 of the Utah Code, the Legislature intends that appropriations provided for Division of Air Quality in Item 18, Chapter 5, Laws of Utah 2014, shall not lapse at the close of FY 2015. Expenditures of these funds are limited to reducing future operating permit fees $100,000; air monitoring equipment $200,000; public awareness campaign $100,000.


SB0002: Item 157

The Legislature intends that the Division of Air Quality purchase one new vehicle through the Division of Fleet Operations.


SB0003: Item 159

Under Section 63J-1-603 of the Utah Code the Legislature intends that appropriations provided for the Division of Air Quality in Item 110, House Bill 3, 2015 General Session, shall not lapse at the close of FY 2015. Expenditures of these funds are limited to vehicle purchase and other costs associated with new compliance officers: $43,600.


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COBI contains unaudited data as presented to the Legislature by state agencies at the time of publication. For audited financial data see the State of Utah's Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports.