(1) Requesting credit. Owners/operators of a petroleum refinery demonstrating compliance through the emission reduction requirement in WAC 173-485-040(2) shall submit, as part of each annual report required in WAC 173-485-090(1), requests for a credit against the greenhouse gas emission reduction requirement. A credit request must be based on specific projects that have been completed at the petroleum refinery since the previous annual report. Each request must include the following information:

(a) An engineering description and analysis of the project, including the emission reduction and energy efficiency objectives for the project.

(b) A quantitative analysis of the project documenting the annual metric tons of CO2e emission reductions achieved as a result of completing the project.

(c) Information supporting the quantitative analysis including engineering assumptions, measurements, or monitoring data.

(d) Requests for credits shall be submitted as part of the first annual report submitted after the petroleum refinery project has been completed.

(2) Processing a credit request.

(a) Each request for credit shall be reviewed and certified by a professional engineer licensed in the state of Washington. The certification must contain the name and license number of the professional engineer who performed the review and certified the submittal.

(b) Within thirty days after the receipt of a request for credit, the permitting authority may require the submission of additional information needed to review the request.

(c) Within thirty days after all required information has been received, the permitting authority shall propose to approve or deny the request for credit. Final approval or denial of a request for credit shall be established through the issuance of a regulatory order. The regulatory order must be issued in accordance with the procedures of the permitting authority for issuing such orders. Each regulatory order issued to approve a request shall include both the quantity of greenhouse gas reduction credit awarded and any conditions necessary to support the validity of the credit award.

(3) Improvements in the efficiency of existing electrical equipment or electrical equipment upgrades at the refinery are not eligible for credits.

(4) Greenhouse gas reductions for the replacement of direct fired or steam-driven equipment with electrical equipment will be credited based on the calculated difference between the greenhouse gas emissions reduced at the refinery and the greenhouse gas emissions calculated for the electricity required. The greenhouse gas emissions for electricity used will be the greenhouse gas emissions specific to the petroleum refinery's source of electricity.

(5) Greenhouse gas emission reductions at the petroleum refinery occurring as a result of projects completed prior to January 1, 2010, are not eligible for credits.