Clean Air Act Permitting System (CAAPS)

Introduction

The Clean Air Act Permitting System (CAAPS) receives, stores, and facilitates the search of New Source Review (NSR) and title V air permits documentation for air permits issued by federal, state, local and tribal air permitting authorities. 

• The NSR program is the preconstruction air permitting program, which requires major and minor stationary sources of air pollution with air emissions at or above certain emission limits to obtain an NSR permit before they begin construction of the new source or modification to an existing source. 
• The Title V program is the operating air permits program, which requires major stationary sources and certain minor stationary sources of air pollution with emissions at or above certain emissions limits to obtain an operating permit to improve compliance with all applicable CAA requirements.

CAAPS Permit Action Information

Various state, local and tribal air permitting programs use CAAPS to submit NSR and title V permit documentation to EPA for each air permit action they issue. CAAPS allows air permitting authorities to submit their air permits for EPA review, as necessary, and allows users to view and research all the air permit documentation for a particular permit action such as the permit application, draft permit, fact sheet/statement of basis, response to comment document, and/or final permit in one location. The EPA also uploads EPA-issued air permit documentation into CAAPS.

Air permit documentation entered into CAAPS is available to the public for review under EPA's Permit Hub. The EPA Permit Hub is an online, public-facing database that allows stakeholders to view environmental permits, supporting documents, and EPA's comments during the review period of a particular permitting action.

Connection Between CAAPS and the RBLC

The RACT/BACT/LAER Clearinghouse (RBLC) receives, stores, and facilitates the search for air pollution control information included in New Source Review (NSR) preconstruction air permits. CAAPS users can submit the air pollution control information that would have been entered in the RBLC at the same time the NSR permit documentation is entered into CAAPS. For RBLC users that do not use CAAPS, the RBLC is equipped to collect the NSR permit documentation at same the time an user enters the air pollution control technology information for a particular permit action into the RBLC. 

CAAPS/RBLC Questions and Data Entry Support

The EPA has ten Regional offices that cover all of the United States and its territories. If you have any questions about searching or reporting data to CAAPS or the RBLC or if you are a state, local or tribal permitting authority interested in submitting NSR, title V and/or RBLC information in CAAPS or the RBLC using EPA's Central Data Exchange, please contact any of the following  EPA regional staff for assistance. 

• Region 01 - Undine Kipka
• Region 02 - Jonathan Yoon
• Region 03 - Casey Diaz
• Region 04 - Kathleen Musmanno
• Region 05 - Priyanka Painuly
• Region 06 - Jonathan Ehrhart
• Region 07 - Rumela Bhadra
• Region 08 - James Floyd
• Region 09 - Christa Leska
• Region 10 - Valerie Gardner