North Carolina's Emissions Reduction Credits Banking Program

Please Note: The information contained on this website is for public use and every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy. Information contained on this website is based on rules promulgated effective December 1, 2005.

Purpose and Overview

The Emissions Reduction Credits (ERCs) Banking Program was created in 2005 to assist facilities looking for emission offsets for nonattainment New Source Review (NSR) permitting. This program provides for the creation, banking, transfer, and use of ERCs for nitrogen oxides (NOx), volatile organic compound (VOC), sulfur dioxide (SO2), fine particulate (PM2.5), and ammonia (NH3) (ammonia will not at this time be considered an ERC pollutant for PM2.5). Facilities that voluntarily reduce emissions may apply to the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Air Quality to register the emission reductions as ERCs for future use. The nonattainment NSR permitting requirements are intended to help the North Carolina nonattainment areas achieve compliance with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) and preserve good air quality in areas that meet the state and federal health standards.

The purpose of the Emission Reduction Credits Registry is to provide a central, publicly available location where information about emission credits can be stored and viewed. When facilities that emit air pollutants cease operating or reduce emissions beyond what the law requires, they create emission credits, which may be used by facilities in the same geographic area that are seeking to increase emissions. This information will be particularly useful to facilities wanting to locate or expand in North Carolina's designated nonattainment areas.

Within this site, you will find: