Proposed Change to Intel Emissions Permit Discussed
By MICHAEL DAVIS Journal Staff Writer
The state Environment Department is in the process of reviewing a request to change Intel’s minor source air pollution permit.
The department held an open house Monday night to discuss proposed changes to the permit.
Richard Goodyear, the department’s permitting chief, said the permit change is a technical revision and will not change the computer-chip maker’s permitted emission levels.
“Intel’s calculated emissions are taken by multiplying the emission factor for a specific chemical times its usage,” Goodyear said. “Just because an emission factor goes up or down doesn’t mean the emission of that chemical will go up or down as well. That depends on the amount of chemical used. The reason Intel is making these changes is to ensure the calculations used to report the emissions are as accurate as they can be.”
Intel requested the permit revisions because of changes in chemical uses and new processes used at its plant at Rio Rancho, Intel spokeswoman Teresa Peters said at Monday’s open house.
Goodyear and Environment Department permit writer Paul Leonis said they did not know what the changes would do to Intel’s emissions.
“Essentially, it doesn’t change their permit limits,” Leonis said. “The actual net changes will come out in their quarterly reports.”
The department has 60 days to approve or deny Intel’s permit change. Because it’s a technical review there will be no public hearing, Leonis said.
About nine people showed up to Monday’s open house at the Corrales Recreation Center.
Many people who live below Intel have blamed health problems and strong chemical odors on the plant.
Intel has denied the plant’s emissions have caused any health problems.
A state study completed in 2004 concluded that Intel emissions do not pose a risk to public health, but key evidence to the contrary was suppressed or ignored by both the Health Department and Environment Department. Several scientists in both departments disputed the study conclusions and the issue is still under investigation, this time by a federal agency.
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, a sister agency of the Centers for Disease Control, is investigating the microchip-maker’s air emissions in relation to possible health effects experienced by nearby residents.
If the permit change is approved, emission factors for Intel’s thermal oxidizers, which are used to abate volatile organic compounds, will drop by a few percentage points. The factors for about 42 other chemicals will rise or fall by several tenths or hundredths of a percentage point.
When asked what the emission factor changes would do to Intel’s emission levels, Intel Environmental Engineer Sarah Chavez said, “I can’t even say.”