On February 6, 2024, the EPA’s Clean Air Markets Division (CAMD) hosted a webinar to discuss modifications to the existing ECMPS 1.0 Client Tool to accommodate the Good Neighbor Rule and MATS Rule electronic reporting requirements that became effective January 1, 2024. The deadline for implementing ECMPS 2.0 continues to be postponed indefinitely. Indications are pointing to either a 2024 Q3 or 2025 Q1 implementation schedule, with 2025 the likely scenario.
The ECMPS 1.0 Client Tool MATS PDF Submit module will be modified to allow the submittal of XML, JSON, and PDF files and will be renamed accordingly.
CAMD stated that the release date for the stand-alone ECMPS Client Tool would follow the usual deployment schedule and take place around “mid-March.” There were no personnel from EPA’s Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards (OAQPS) to clarify how certain reports would be formatted (XML vs. JSON vs. PDF).
The ECMPS 2.0 schema for the quarterly compliance report has not been finalized and the first report was anticipated to be in JSON format. CAMD suggested that affected sources contact the delegated authority to obtain guidance on whether a PDF copy of the report could continue to be submitted in lieu of an XML or JSON. The same confusion applies to the requirements to submit hourly PM CEMS data, hourly PM CPMS data, and 30/90-day rolling averages. A recording of the webinar will be posted at https://www.epa.gov/power-sector/ecmps-re-engineering-effort but has not been loaded up yet.
All VIM Technologies customers running CEMLink6 who are subject to either the Good Neighbor Rule or the MATS Rule will require a CEMLink6 update before Q1 2024 reporting in April. We are in the final phase of QC and will be prepared to release CEMLink6 Ver. 6.2.550 in late March. This release will allow users to generate MATS quarterly compliance reports and PM CEMS quarterly emission reports in JSON format.
VIM recommends that MATS-affected sources contact their stack test contractors to ensure that they will provide the applicable required MATS stack test data elements specified in Sections 17 through 30 of Appendix E to the MATS Rule in XML format. VIM is not planning to include a CEMLink6 module to generate XML files for MATS compliance tests for elements required in this section of the rule.
VIM Technologies will continue to stay on top of these changes and will provide an update when we know more. In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our COMPAS group (COMPAS@vimtechnologies.com) if you have any questions.
