Eco Services Operations Corporation-Issuance of Permit to Operate for alteration to increase stack height of S-1 Sulfuric Acid Plant, (AD App 753382).
Summary
SCH Number
2026080372
Public Agency
Bay Area Air Quality Management District
(BAAQMD)
Document Title
Eco Services Operations Corporation-Issuance of Permit to Operate for alteration to increase stack height of S-1 Sulfuric Acid Plant, (AD App 753382).
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
8/12/2026
Document Description
This permit action issues a Permit to Operate for an alteration to the following source at Eco Services:
S-1 Sulfuric Acid Plant
Including: furnace, dust chamber, waste heat boiler, quench tower, entrainment separator, mud settler, direct contact gas cooling tower and heat exchanger, with two electrostatic precipitators, dry tower, main gas blower, two cold heat exchangers, hot heat exchanger, converter, and absorbing tower; Abated by A-11, Ammonia Scrubber.
Eco Services has applied for an alteration to increase the stack height of S-1 by 7 feet and 1 inch and to relocate the Reference Method (RM) test ports by replacing the existing stack with a new stack of the same inner diameter. The proposed project is in response to Bay Area Air District Notices of Violation (NOVs) concerning
EPA 40 CFR Part 60, Appendix B, Performance Specification 2. No other changes to the process, throughput, control equipment, or emissions are proposed at S-1 as part of this project.
Contact Information
Name
Christopher Ablaza
Agency Name
Bay Area Air Quality Management District
Job Title
Air Quality Engineer II
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Email
Name
Neil Baranik
Agency Name
Eco Services Operations Corporation
Job Title
Environmental Manager
Contact Types
Project Applicant
Phone
Location
Cities
Martinez
Counties
Contra Costa
Regions
Northern California, San Francisco Bay Area
Zip
94553
Other Location Info
100 Mococo Road, Martinez, Contra Costa County, CA 94553;
Nearest Cross Street: Bridgehead Road
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Ministerial
Type, Section or Code
Sec. 21080(b)(1); 15268(a)
Reasons for Exemption
Approval of this permit application is not subject to CEQA because it is ministerial. The Air District's regulatory requirements that governed the approval of this project did not allow for any subjective judgement related to whether or how the project may be carried out. The project complied with objective numerical standards in the Air District's permitting rules, which do not allow for or require any subjective judgment or discretion to interpret or apply. The Air District is legally compelled to approve the project where it complies with such
standards. In addition, neither a Best Available Control Technology (BACT) nor a Best Available Control Technology for Toxics (TBACT) determination were required. The applicant has included in its permit application CEQA-related information (CEQA Appendix H) that demonstrates that the project has no potential for resulting in any significant environmental impacts.
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
(CEQA Guidelines§ 15301)
Reasons for Exemption
The project is a minor alteration to an existing facility with negligible or no expansion of existing use. The change does not constitute as a "modification" that requires New Source Review permitting. No additional permit conditions or changes are proposed with this project. The proposed alteration pertains to the
monitoring configuration associated with EPA Method 1 and Performance Specification 2 and does not change the underlying process equipment or emissions.
County Clerk
Contra Costa
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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