Continuous Emission Monitoring

For over three decades, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has developed and managed one of the strongest continuous emission monitoring (CEM) programs in the country. Pennsylvania was one of the first states to use standardized electronic data reporting and reported data for direct compliance evaluations and penalty assessments.

A Continuous Emission Monitoring System (CEMS) is a combination of the hardware and software used for the continuous determination and recording of a value for compliance with an emissions standard, operational criterion or informational reporting requirement. It includes the measurement interface, all necessary measurement devices and associated calibration and data handling apparatus and procedures.

The owners/operators of certain industrial and utility sources are required to install, operate, and maintain CEMSs to monitor key pollutants and/or operational parameters to demonstrate compliance with emissions standards or operational criteria as stipulated in a plan approval, operating permit, or order.

Technical Manuals

• Continuous Source Monitoring Manual Revision 8 (PDF)
  (274-0300-001) (12/2/06)
  • Attachment No. 1 (40CFR60)(7/06) (PDF)
  • Attachment No. 2 (40CFR60)(7/06) (PDF)
• Data Validation Clarification Document (PDF)
  (3/7/12)
  This document is designed to assist facility owners and operators in programming their data acquisition and handling systems and ensuring that hourly averages are coded/calculated properly. The document is in draft form and is meant to be a living document. It was developed in order to clarify the department's data reduction criteria pertaining to hourly averages, contained on page 64 (4.a. and 4.b) of the Manual.
• CEM FAQ (PDF)(10/08/19)
• Version with changes (PDF)(since 01/16/15)
• Continuous Emission Monitoring Data Processing System User Manual (PDF)(Word) (1/8/08)
• Questions?
  Contact: Natalie Russ 
  Continuous Emissions Monitoring Section
  717-772-3944 phone 
  717-772-2303 fax
  nruss@pa.gov

CEMDPS Access

To use CEMDPS*Online, you must have an account on the Departments' GreenPort website. If you don't already, please download the form below, complete it, and mail or fax it to the address on the form. You can also email it to Natalie at the above address.

• Registration Form (PDF, Word)

Periodically Updated CSMS Information

• Continuous Source Monitoring Systems (CSMS's) (PDF)
  This list contains all CSMS's for which the DEP has received at least an application for installation and operation.

Compliance Assurance Policies

Compliance assurance policies establish uniform criteria for assessing monetary penalties for exceedances of emission standards and data availability requirements through an agreement rather than repeated criminal citations or civil penalty actions. Each CEMS will be covered under one of the CAPs, depending on the source type.

• Compliance Assurance Policy for Cement Kilns with CEMS (PDF) (273-4000-001) (7/3/91)
• Compliance Assurance Policy For Hospital Waste Incinerators (PDF) (273-4000-002) (4/16/90)
• Compliance Assurance Policy for Municipal Waste Incinerators (PDF) (273-4000-003) (including revisions) (7/12/89)
• Enforcement Policy for CEMS on Fluid Catalytic Cracking Units (PDF) (273-4000-004) (7/1/86)
• Compliance Assurance Policy for CEMS on Combustion Units (PDF) (273-4000-005) (4/18/09)

Outreach

• CEMS Workshop
• Contact the CEM Section

Important Notice Pertaining to Accreditation

The Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Act (Act 25 of 2002) requires that all environmental laboratories register with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection within six months of the effective date of the Act, April 2, 2002, on a registration form prepared by the department. An environment laboratory is defined in the Act as a facility engaged in the testing or analysis of environmental samples as required by an environmental statute administered by the department.