TCEQ AIR QUALITY PERMIT NUMBER 147392L001 APPLICATION BY § BEFORE THE VULCAN CONSTRUCTION § MATERIALS LLC § TEXAS COMMISSION ON ROCK CRUSHING PLANT § BULVERDE, COMAL COUNTY § ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S RESPONSE TO PUBLIC COMMENT The Executive Director of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (the commission or TCEQ) files this Response to Public Comment (Response) on the New Source Review Authorization application and Executive Director’s preliminary decision. As required by Title 30 Texas Administrative Code (TAC) § 55.156, before an application is approved, the Executive Director prepares a response to all timely, relevant and material, or significant comments. The Office of Chief Clerk received timely comments from those listed in Attachment A. The commenters associated with particular topics are identified by name throughout this Response. Commenters described generally as such and those with specific comments relating to a topic are listed in parentheses at the end of each comment. In some instances, a large number of commenters had the same or similar comments and have been associated to their particular comments though the use of groups. The persons attributed to each comment group are listed in Attachment B. This Response addresses all timely public comments received, whether or not withdrawn. If you need more information about this permit application or the permitting process, please call the TCEQ Public Education Program at 1-800-687-4040. General information about the TCEQ can be found at our website at www.tceq.texas.gov. BACKGROUND Description of Plant Vulcan Construction Materials LLC (Applicant) has applied to the TCEQ for a New Source Review Authorization under Texas Clean Air Act (TCAA) § 382.0518. This will authorize the construction of a new plant that may emit air contaminants. This permit will authorize the Applicant to construct a rock crushing plant. The plant will be located on property whose northeast corner is the southwest corner of the intersection of Highway 46 and Farm-to-Market Road 3009, Bulverde, Comal County, Texas. The Applicant has represented that the plant will be located on the property at the following coordinates: Latitude 29.768401, Longitude -98.308153. Contaminants authorized under this permit include particulate matter (PM), including particulate matter with diameters of 10 microns or less (PM10) and 2.5 microns or less (PM2.5), carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides (NOX), organic compounds, and sulfur dioxide (SO2). Executive Director’s Response to Public Comment Vulcan Construction Materials LLC, Permit No. 147392L001 Page 2 of 100 Procedural Background Before work begins on the construction of a new plant that may emit air contaminants, the person planning the construction must obtain a permit from the commission. This permit application is for an initial issuance of Air Quality Permit Number 147392L001. The permit application was received on June 27, 2017, and declared administratively complete on July 5, 2017. The Notice of Receipt and Intent to Obtain an Air Quality Permit (first public notice) for this permit application was published in English on July 31, 2017, in the San Antonio Express-News and in Spanish on July 28, 2017, in La Prensa Communidad del Valle. A combined Notice of Application and Preliminary Decision for an Air Quality Permit (second public notice) and notice of public meeting was published in English on January 26, 2018, in the San Antonio Express-News and in Spanish on January 26, 2018, in La Prensa Communidad del Valle. A public meeting was held on February 27, 2018, in New Braunfels, TX. The public comment period ended on February 27, 2018. Because this application was received after September 1, 2015, it is subject to the procedural requirements of and rules implementing Senate Bill 709 (84th Legislature, 2015). Executive Director’s Response to Public Comment Vulcan Construction Materials LLC, Permit No. 147392L001 Page 3 of 100 TABLE OF CONTENTS COMMENT 1: STATE, COUNTY, AND CITY OFFICIALS ............................................................... 4 COMMENT 2: PUBLIC NOTICE .................................................................................................... 5 COMMENT 3: SIGN POSTING ...................................................................................................... 7 COMMENT 4: AIR QUALITY/HEALTH EFFECTS .......................................................................... 8 COMMENT 5: MSS EMISSIONS ................................................................................................ 21 COMMENT 6: SILICA ............................................................................................................... 22 COMMENT 7: DUST EMISSIONS/DUST SUPPRESSION .............................................................. 23 COMMENT 8: DIESEL ENGINES ................................................................................................ 27 COMMENT 9: INDOOR AIR QUALITY/WORKER HEALTH ........................................................ 28 COMMENT 10: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STUDY/ADDITIONAL STUDIES .............................. 29 COMMENT 11: AIR PERMITTING PROCESS .............................................................................. 30 COMMENT 12: ERRORS .......................................................................................................... 32 COMMENT 13: BACT ............................................................................................................ 32 COMMENT 14: AIR DISPERSION MODELING ........................................................................... 33 COMMENT 15: CUMULATIVE/AGGREGATE EFFECTS OF INDUSTRIAL OPERATIONS IN AREA .. 37 COMMENT 16: ENDANGERED SPECIES/DISPLACED WILDLIFE ................................................. 38 COMMENT 17: NAAQS ATTAINMENT FOR COMAL COUNTY ................................................ 39 COMMENT 18: EFFECTS COMPARISON ................................................................................... 40 COMMENT 19: EXPEDITED AIR PERMITTING PROCESS............................................................ 40 COMMENT 20: MORE STRINGENT STANDARDS ...................................................................... 41 COMMENT 21: TYPE OF APPLICATION/TYPE OF PLANT ......................................................... 41 COMMENT 22: FUTURE PERMITTING ACTIONS/OTHER POTENTIAL FACILITIES ..................... 43 COMMENT 23: REPRESENTATIONS IN THE APPLICATION ........................................................ 44 COMMENT 24: AREA MAP ..................................................................................................... 47 COMMENT 25: SITE REVIEW ................................................................................................... 47 COMMENT 26: PERMIT SPECIAL CONDITIONS ........................................................................ 49 COMMENT 27: 30 TAC CHAPTERS 111 AND 113 ................................................................ 51 COMMENT 28: MONITORING .................................................................................................. 51 COMMENT 29: LOCAL PROGRAM MONITORING ..................................................................... 55 COMMENT 30: ENFORCEMENT ............................................................................................... 56 COMMENT 31: AUDIT PRIVILEGE ACT ................................................................................... 58 COMMENT 32: COMPLIANCE HISTORY ................................................................................... 59 COMMENT 33: WATER ........................................................................................................... 60 COMMENT 34: QUARRY OPERATIONS AND BLASTING/RECLAMATION PLAN ......................... 63 COMMENT 35: LOCATION/PROPERTY/ZONING/AESTHETICS ................................................ 66 COMMENT 36: LOCAL IMPACTS ............................................................................................. 68 COMMENT 37: PROPERTY RIGHTS/PROPERTY VALUES/ECONOMIC IMPACT .......................... 68 COMMENT 38: TRUCK TRAFFIC/ROADS ................................................................................ 69 COMMENT 39: NOISE/LIGHT/VIBRATIONS ............................................................................ 71 COMMENT 40: CORPORATE PROFITS ..................................................................................... 71 COMMENT 41: RESPONSIBILITY OF THE TCEQ/MISSION STATEMENT .................................. 72 COMMENT 42: FEES/CITIZEN CONCERNS ............................................................................... 74 COMMENT 43: JURISDICTION ................................................................................................. 75 COMMENT 44: PUBLIC OPPOSITION ....................................................................................... 76 COMMENT 45: QUESTIONS/COMMENTS FOR APPLICANT ...................................................... 76 Executive Director’s Response to Public Comment Vulcan Construction Materials LLC, Permit No. 147392L001 Page 4 of 100 COMMENTS AND RESPONSES COMMENT 1: State, County, and City Officials The City of Bulverde submitted Resolution No. 300, stating that the city council strongly opposes the authorization of the proposed plant. The resolution states that this opposition is due to lack of adequate infrastructure to ensure safe operations and significant negative impacts on neighboring property