An environmental excellence program agreement entered into under this chapter must achieve more effective or efficient environmental results than the results that would be otherwise achieved. The basis for comparison shall be a reasonable estimate of the overall impact of the participating facility on the environment in the absence of an environmental excellence program agreement. More effective environmental results are results that are better overall than those that would be achieved under the legal requirements superseded or replaced by the agreement. More efficient environmental results are results that are achieved at reduced cost but do not decrease the overall environmental results achieved by the participating facility. An environmental excellence program agreement may not authorize either (1) the release of water pollutants that will cause to be exceeded, at points of compliance in the ambient environment established pursuant to law, numeric surface water or groundwater quality criteria or numeric sediment quality criteria adopted as rules under chapter
90.48 RCW; or (2) the emission of any air contaminants that will cause to be exceeded any air quality standard as defined in RCW
70A.15.1030(3); or (3) a decrease in the overall environmental results achieved by the participating facility compared with results achieved over a representative period before the date on which the agreement is proposed by the sponsor. However, an environmental excellence program agreement may authorize reasonable increases in the release of pollutants to permit increases in facility production or facility expansion and modification.