Regulation 13 Rule 5: Industrial Hydrogen Plants

Learn about the Air District's development process for New Regulation 13, Rule 5: Industrial Hydrogen Plants, which will address emissions of total organic compounds (methane and volatile organic compounds) from hydrogen plants operating in the Bay Area.

Find out about the status and anticipated timeline of the rule development process. Information on hearings, workshops, and other events is provided below, along with supporting documents and materials.

The Air District developed a new source-specific rule to address emissions of methane (a potent climate pollutant) and volatile organic compounds (a precursor to smog formation), which together are referred to as "total organic compounds" (TOC), in the Bay Area.

Regulation 13: Climate Pollutants, Rule 5: Industrial Hydrogen Plants (Rule 13-5) limits vented emissions of methane and organic compounds from hydrogen production plants and hydrogen carrying systems.

The Air District held a public workshop at its headquarters in San Francisco in January 2020 to present and discuss draft regulatory language for draft Rule 13-5, along with a workshop report. The Air District engaged stakeholders and sought public comment by publishing draft regulatory language in September 2020, June 2021, and January 2022. The Air District released a Notice of Preparation of a Draft Environmental Impact Report and an Initial Study (NOP/IS) pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) in June 2021, and subsequently released a Draft Environmental Impact Report (Draft EIR) for a 45-day public comment period beginning January 24, 2022. Based on comments received after the January 2022 release of draft Rule 13-5 and associated documents, Air District staff revised draft Rule 13-5 to address concerns and comments raised by stakeholders, revising the Administrative Requirements and Monitoring and Records sections of Proposed Rule 13-5 along with additional clarifications. Air District staff published a notice of rescheduled public hearing and the revised version of draft Rule 13-5 on March 25, 2022 to allow further public comment.

The Air District Board of Directors held the rescheduled public hearing on May 4, 2022, and adopted Proposed New Rule 13-5 and proposed amendments to Rule 8-2, and certified the Final Environmental Impact Report pursuant to CEQA. Information on the public hearing can be found on this page under “Hearings, Workshops and Other Events”.  

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Hearings, Workshops and Other Events

Throughout the rule development process, we provide information on upcoming and past workshops, hearings, and other events.

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Documents

Supporting materials, such as staff reports, regulatory language, and other technical documents related to rule development, are posted throughout the development process.

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Comments

The Air District provides opportunities for the public to submit input throughout the development process, and posts comments received during the open public comment periods.

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Last Updated: 6/13/2022