Proposed Amended Rule 463 – Organic Liquid Storage
Summary
SCH Number
2026010225
Public Agency
South Coast Air Quality Management District
Document Title
Proposed Amended Rule 463 – Organic Liquid Storage
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
1/9/2026
Document Description
Rule 463 applies to above-ground stationary tanks with capacity of 75,000 liters (19,815 gallons) or more used to store organic liquids, above-ground tanks with a capacity between 950 liters (251 gallons) and 75,000 liters (19,815 gallons) that are used to store gasoline, and any stationary tank used in crude oil and natural gas production operations with potential to emit six tons per year or more of volatile organic compounds (VOC). Rule 463 was most recently amended in 2024 to further limit VOC emissions from organic liquid tanks by establishing periodic optical gas imaging (OGI) inspections and more stringent control requirements. Proposed Amended Rule 463 (PAR 463) clarifies the applicability for the types of storage tanks that would be subject to periodic OGI inspections and provides an additional compliance pathway to demonstrate vapor control performance for smaller gasoline tanks. PAR 463 clarifies that smaller gasoline tanks will be excluded from the requirement to conduct OGI inspections. While conducting OGI inspections on smaller gasoline tanks could potentially reduce 5.6 pounds per day of VOC emissions from these sources, it is not cost-effective to do so. Nonetheless, the potentially unachieved emission reductions do not exceed the South Coast AQMD air quality significance threshold for VOC emissions during operation and therefore, are not a significant impact on the environment. PAR 463 will benefit stakeholders by providing improved clarity when implementing the applicable requirements.
Contact Information
Name
Farzaneh Khalaj
Agency Name
South Coast AQMD
Job Title
Air Quality Specialist
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Email
Location
Counties
Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino
Regions
Countywide
Other Location Info
The proposed project is located within the South Coast Air Quality Management District’s (South Coast AQMD) jurisdiction, which includes the four-county South Coast Air Basin (all of Orange County and the non-desert portions of Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties), and the Riverside County portion of the Salton Sea Air Basin and the non-Palo Verde, Riverside County portion of the Mojave Desert Air Basin.
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Other
Type, Section or Code
15061(b)(3)
Reasons for Exemption
South Coast AQMD, as Lead Agency, has reviewed the proposed project pursuant to: 1) CEQA Guidelines Section 15002(k) – General Concepts, the three-step process for deciding which document to prepare for a project subject to CEQA; and 2) CEQA Guidelines Section 15061 – Review for Exemption, procedures for determining if a project is exempt from CEQA. It can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the proposed project (PAR 463) may have a significant adverse effect on the environment because: 1) no physical modifications are expected from making administrative clarifications; and 2) excluding smaller gasoline tanks from OGI inspection requirements will not exceed the South Coast AQMD air quality significance threshold for VOC emissions during operation. Therefore, the proposed project is exempt from CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3) – Common Sense Exemption.
County Clerks
Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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