NORTHERN SIERRA AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT DISTRICT
RULE 514 - PUBLIC RECORDS AND TRADE SECRETS
(Adopted: September 11, 1991)
- All information, analysis, plans, or specifications that disclose the nature, extent, quantity, or degree of
air contaminants or other pollution which will be produced by any source which the District requires any applicant
to provide before such applicant builds, alters, replaces, operates, sells, rents, or uses such source, are public
records.
- All air quality or other pollution monitoring data, including data compiled from stationary sources, are public
records.
- Except as otherwise provided in Section D below, trade secrets are not public records under this Rule. Trade
secrets, as used in this Rule, may include, but are not limited to, any formula, plan, pattern, process, tool mechanism,
compound, procedure, production rate, or compilation of information which is not patented, which is known only
to certain individuals within a commercial concern who are using it to fabricate, produce, or compound an article
of trade, or a service having commercial value and which gives its user an opportunity to obtain a business advantage
over competitors who do not know or use it. The owner or operator shall state in writing his justification for
claiming material as trade secrets and such justification shall be public record. The Air Pollution Control Officer
shall rule on the validity of trade secret claims. Requests from the public for records shall be specific and in
sufficient detail to enable the Air Pollution Control Officer to readily identify the information requested.
- Notwithstanding any other provisions of the law, all air pollution emission data, including those emission
data which constitute trade secrets as defined in Section C above, are public records. Production data used to
calculate emission data are not emission data for purposes of this subdivision and data which constitute trade
secrets and which are used to calculate emission data are not public records.