Buffalo State holds an Air State Facility Emissions Permit from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), which regulates emissions from stationary fuel combustion installations, including boiler heating systems and emergency electrical power generators, and other minor sources located on campus. This permit includes monitoring, testing, maintenance and reporting requirements for stationary emission sources.
The main fuel combustion installations on the campus are located at the centralized heating (boiler) plant (shown in photo) which provides steam for heating campus facilities. The steam is generated by boilers fuelded by natural gas with no. 6 oil as an emergency backup.
In a voluntary effort to further reduce emissions from campus stationary sources, the campus elected to file an application with the NYS DEC to change from a Title V permit to an Air State Facility permit in April 2012. NYS DEC approved the request and issued an Air State Facility permit, which places additional operational restrictions to reduce maximum potential emissions from campus stationary sources through a regulatory enforceable "cap" on Greenhouse Gases and SOx parameters in addition to NOx, which was already capped under the Title V permit conditions. With the restrictions in place, the campus maximum potential emissions are reduced to "minor" source status from "major" (Title V) source status.
