What is the Protocol Gas Verification Program (PGVP)?
Learn about the Protocol Gas Verification Program (PGVP) and how it applies to your site.
Overview of the Protocol Gas Verification Program (PGVP)
The Protocol Gas Verification Program (PGVP) was established in March of 2011 and is designed to ensure the accuracy of calibration gases. Did you know that emission sources that follow the Part 75 emissions monitoring and reporting requirements must procure Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) protocol gases from a production site that is listed as a PGVP participant on the date that the gases are procured, or from a vendor who sells unaltered EPA protocol gases from PGVP-approved production site? Refer to 40 CFR 75.12 (g)(6) and (7) for more details about the requirements.
These gases and the associated quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) checks help to ensure the quality of the emission data that EPA uses to assess compliance with emission reductions requirements under the Clean Air Act.
What Does the PGVP Do?
The PGVP has four main objectives:
- To ensure that EPA protocol gases meet the accuracy requirements of 40 CFR Part 75;
- To assist calibration gas consumers in their purchasing decisions;
- To provide an incentive for gas vendors that perform well in the audits to continue to use good practices;
- And to encourage gas vendors that perform poorly in the audits to make improvements.
The Clean Air Market Division (CAMD) has a website that explains these requirements and provides a list of the 2021 PGVP participants and vendor IDs. The 2021 list of approved vendors has twenty-six (26) production sites.
How Does PGVP Affect My Site?
The EPA performs a blind audit of the gas vendors and is unlikely to notify you if your specific vendor is no longer approved. Often, calibration gas from unapproved (or no longer approved) vendors goes unnoticed and results in invalid data during QA/QC checks.
ESC Spectrum encourages sites to review the list of approved productions sites early in each year and make sure your gas supplier is on the approved list. The Emissions Collection and Monitoring System (ECMPS) has an internal feature that allows sites to verify that they are using cylinders produced from an approved vendor site.
Please contact Jon Konings if you have any questions.
How We Help You Comply With the Protocol Gas Verification Program?
We are a full solution provider for air emissions compliance: from building CEMS shelters and performing maintenance on them, to developing Data Acquisition Systems and other compliance software, to testing, repairs, spare parts…and all the DAS and CEMS services to support those activities. Please Contact Us to see how we can help you.
Interested in learning more about regulations and staying in compliance? Read our Definitive Guide to Air Emissions Regulations.
Reagan Sokolosky - Marketing Specialist III
Reagan is a Strategic Communications graduate from Oklahoma State University who joined ESC Spectrum in April of 2020. She dove headfirst into the air emissions compliance industry with no prior experience. She has been writing and researching about air emissions for 4 years to educate our customers. Within four years, Reagan advanced to Marketing Specialist III, showcasing expertise in ESC Spectrum’s learning offerings, email marketing, video editing, product and software releases, and company rebranding.
Overview of the Protocol Gas Verification Program (PGVP)
The Protocol Gas Verification Program (PGVP) was established in March of 2011 and is designed to ensure the accuracy of calibration gases. Did you know that emission sources that follow the Part 75 emissions monitoring and reporting requirements must procure Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) protocol gases from a production site that is listed as a PGVP participant on the date that the gases are procured, or from a vendor who sells unaltered EPA protocol gases from PGVP-approved production site? Refer to 40 CFR 75.12 (g)(6) and (7) for more details about the requirements.
These gases and the associated quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) checks help to ensure the quality of the emission data that EPA uses to assess compliance with emission reductions requirements under the Clean Air Act.
What Does the PGVP Do?
The PGVP has four main objectives:
- To ensure that EPA protocol gases meet the accuracy requirements of 40 CFR Part 75;
- To assist calibration gas consumers in their purchasing decisions;
- To provide an incentive for gas vendors that perform well in the audits to continue to use good practices;
- And to encourage gas vendors that perform poorly in the audits to make improvements.
The Clean Air Market Division (CAMD) has a website that explains these requirements and provides a list of the 2021 PGVP participants and vendor IDs. The 2021 list of approved vendors has twenty-six (26) production sites.
How Does PGVP Affect My Site?
The EPA performs a blind audit of the gas vendors and is unlikely to notify you if your specific vendor is no longer approved. Often, calibration gas from unapproved (or no longer approved) vendors goes unnoticed and results in invalid data during QA/QC checks.
ESC Spectrum encourages sites to review the list of approved productions sites early in each year and make sure your gas supplier is on the approved list. The Emissions Collection and Monitoring System (ECMPS) has an internal feature that allows sites to verify that they are using cylinders produced from an approved vendor site.
Please contact Jon Konings if you have any questions.
How We Help You Comply With the Protocol Gas Verification Program?
We are a full solution provider for air emissions compliance: from building CEMS shelters and performing maintenance on them, to developing Data Acquisition Systems and other compliance software, to testing, repairs, spare parts…and all the DAS and CEMS services to support those activities. Please Contact Us to see how we can help you.
Interested in learning more about regulations and staying in compliance? Read our Definitive Guide to Air Emissions Regulations.
