Emissions Collection and Monitoring Plan System (ECMPS) User Bulletin – First Quarter 2009 (April 2009)

First Quarter 2009 Submission Period

The deadline for First Quarter 2009 submissions is Thursday, April 30, 2009. The submission window will be open from Wednesday, April 1, 2009 through Thursday, April 30, 2009 for first quarter 2009 submissions.

Mandatory Use of the Emissions Collection and Monitoring Plan System (ECMPS) in 2009

ATTENTION: Beginning with the first quarter of 2009, all industry sources MUST use the Emissions Collection and Monitoring Plan System (ECMPS) to submit monitoring plan, QA/cert test, and emissions data to the EPA for the Acid Rain and CAIR programs.

Sources will no longer be able to use MDC or ETS-FTP/SecuRemote to submit data after fourth quarter 2008.

ECMPS requires use of a new data format which is XML-based (eXtensible Markup Language). This new format will replace the text-based EDR format (EDR versions 2.1/2.2). As a result, sources will no longer be able to use MDC or ETS-FTP/SecuRemote to review/submit data after fourth quarter 2008. Instead, ECMPS will replace these software tools and provide the necessary data evaluation and submittal functions.

If you are not aware of this 2009 requirement, you are strongly encouraged to contact your DAHS vendor immediately, if applicable. If you have questions or wish to be added to the ECMPS Stakeholder email group, contact Laurel DeSantis.

If you do not submit quarterly data to the EPA, please inform the appropriate personnel as soon as possible.

As of January 24, 2008, the EPA 7610-14 certification application form is no longer required by the agency. Sources no longer need to send this form to CAMD or to the State or EPA Regional offices.

Submitting Data for the First Time

There are several steps that have to be taken before monitoring plan, quality assurance certification test, or emissions data can be submitted for a new unit:

The first step a newly affected source must take is to submit a Certificate of Representation form. If you have any questions, please contact Laurel DeSantis.
Once the information identifying the primary representative, the facility, and units has been submitted and processed, the source must submit the appropriate certification test data and monitoring plan using ECMPS.
After the monitoring plan has been received and successfully processed by ECMPS, a quarterly emissions file may be submitted for the unit.

If you have any questions concerning this process, please call your EPA ECMPS Analyst.

Industry Management of Facility/Unit Data via the Web

EPA’s Clean Air Markets Division (CAMD) has developed the CAMD Business System (CBS), a Web-based application that enables authorized industry users to submit certain data to CAMD online, as described below. CBS enables users to manage their own source data without relying on CAMD to receive and process paper forms. Users are able to perform the following functions online:

Add new facilities and/or units
Modify existing facility/unit data
Identify facility representatives
Modify owner/operator information
Perform allowance transfers
Modify personal contact information
Submit new/retired unit exemption data
Create new general accounts
Modify existing general account information
Submit annual compliance certifications
Perform allowance deductions
Determine applicability for the Acid Rain Program

Primary Representatives and Alternate Representatives are able to designate agents to perform functions in CBS on their behalf. Representatives are able to designate Source Management Agents, Allowance Trading Agents, Compliance Agents, and General Account Management Agents. Each agent will receive their own User ID and password to access CBS. While an agent may perform certain tasks for their representative, the Primary Representative is ultimately responsible for actions taken by their agents and their Alternate's agents. Representatives may assign Agents online using CBS, or they may complete and submit a form with required information. For more information, see the Assigning Agents page. A description of the different Agent types is available, as well as a form that may be completed and faxed to the EPA. EPA will confirm the Agent assignment via e-mail to both the Representative and the new Agent. If you have any questions about assigning Agents, please contact Laurel DeSantis.

To register for the CAMD Business System (CBS) or to access CBS, visit What is the CAMD Business System (CBS)? For general questions about CBS, please contact Alex Salpeter or Laurel DeSantis.