Proposed Amended Rule 463 – Organic Liquid Storage

The Proposed Amended Rule 463 (PAR 463) for Organic Liquid Storage, managed by the South Coast Air Quality Management District, establishes regulatory standards for volatile organic compound (VOC) emission controls for specific stationary tanks in California. The rule applies to above-ground stationary tanks with capacities of 75,000 liters or more used for organic liquids, gasoline storage tanks between 950 and 75,000 liters, and any stationary tank in crude oil and natural gas production operations with the potential to emit six tons or more of VOCs per year. The primary objective of the amendment is to clarify the applicability of periodic optical gas imaging (OGI) inspections and provide an additional compliance pathway for smaller gasoline tanks to demonstrate vapor control performance. Under the amended rule, smaller gasoline tanks are specifically excluded from OGI inspection requirements because such inspections were deemed not cost-effective, despite a potential reduction of 5.6 pounds of VOC emissions per day. This project is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) under Section 15061(b)(3), as the administrative clarifications are not expected to result in physical modifications or significant adverse environmental effects. The project jurisdiction covers the four-county South Coast Air Basin, including all of Orange County and non-desert portions of Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties, as well as specific portions of the Salton Sea and Mojave Desert Air Basins. The South Coast AQMD Governing Board held a public hearing regarding these amendments on January 9, 2026.