Georgia Department of Natural Resources
Environmental Protection Division, Air Protection Branch

Georgia's Visible Emissions Certification Program
"Smoke School"

The Georgia Visible Emissions Certification Training Program consists of six annual “smoke schools” - three in the spring and three in the fall. Each season, schools are conducted in Savannah, Atlanta & Tifton. This training is open to regulatory personnel, consultants, industrial and other members of the regulated community. The purpose of the program is to certify a participant's ability to meet federal requirements for visually determining the opacity of plumes from stationary point sources. In addition, this program provides training for the determination of the frequency of fugitive emissions from stationary sources, located indoors or outdoors, (including flares) using Method 22. Each "school" consists of classroom lectures and orientation followed by field training, testing and certification. Participants can maintain continuous certification by successfully completing the field training every six months (as specified in federal reference Method-9 of the Code of Federal Regulations). The classroom portion, however, must be attended at least every three years.

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