Data Management & QA/QC Procedures in the US and Canada

1. Data Management And QA/QC Procedures In The United States And Canada Presented by Ms. Rebecca Lee Tooly USEPA Office of Air Quality Planning & Standards Emissions Inventory and Analysis Group Marc Deslauriers Environment Canada Pollution Data Division Science and Technology Branch 8th Joint TFEIP/EIONET meeting Dublin, Ireland, October 23-24, 2007

2. Overview • Data collection process – ex. facility data • Compilation procedures for national inventories • QC/ QA practices • Interactions with stakeholder groups • Challenges / future directions

3. Data Collection Process – Example: Sources of Information for the compilation of the point source inventory

4. Facility Data Reporting

5. Compilation Of The Canadian Emissions Inventory • The facility reported emissions are complemented with • Emission estimates performed for the pollutants that are not reported by the facilities • Top down emission calculations (performed for all industrial sectors) to ensure the completeness of the industrial emissions • Emissions information compiled by the provinces using permits and other data collection mechanisms • Technical studies and surveys compiled by Environment Canada (with and without the collaboration of industrial associations, including process level information)

6. Verifications Of The Industrial Information Collected In Canada • Online data acquisition software performs checks before accepting the facility submission • e.g. TPM emissions must be greater than PM10 emissions, PM10>PM2.5 • Comparison with previous year emission submission • Large variations are identified • Comments provided by the facilities in their emission submission are reviewed • Data issues are prioritized (based on the pollutant(s), quantity released, program priorities) • Facilities are contacted where inadequate explanations are provided and/or where calculation errors have been identified • all communications are logged in a contact management database • Other QC checks • Identification of outliers (calculation errors, incorrect units used resulting in order of magnitude differences) • Pollutants are not reported • Identical values reported • Comparison of VOC speciation emissions and total VOC emissions reported • Late reporters • All QC activities performed during a 3-4 months period

7. Review Of The Canadian Emissions Inventory • The review of the emission estimates is performed by • Emissions inventory managers responsible for the overall compilation of the annual emissions inventory • Verification that the emissions were compiled using the latest estimation methods and statistics • Calculation assumptions are reviewed • Estimation methods are documented to facilitate the review and the update during the following year • Industrial sector experts within Environment Canada • Provincial agencies (review the industrial and non-industrial emissions) • The extent of the review varies by province/territory and is linked to the available resources • Review of calculations and comparison of reported emissions with permit information (performed through the EI compilation period, ~6 months) • A formal acceptance of the emission estimates by each province and territory is required before the finalisation and publication of the annual emissions inventory • Transportation emission estimates, transportation model assumptions, vehicle statistics, etc are also reviewed by the provinces and interested industry experts through a technical working groups

8. Review of The Canadian Emissions Inventory • Comparison with the previous year estimates (for all industrial and non-industrial sources) • Performed for each source category in the inventory and at the national, provincial, territorial levels • Review of historical trends estimates to ensure the consistency and comparability of the data • Adjustments and recalculations are performed where required • Adjustments to the spatial and temporal allocation of the emissions are performed based on the input received from air quality modellers

9. Compilation and Review Process for US NEI • Preliminary distributed to state/local/ tribal agencies for review and comment • Created from previous cycle facility data and national nonpoint methods (e.g., model runs for onroad and nonroad mobile, other nonroad – alm) • State/ local/ tribal agencies submit point and nonpoint data • Secure and standardized data exchange procedure (CDX) • xml format • Basic format checks prior to submission • Draft created by merging S/L/T submitted data with other sources • QC, QA, review between EPA and S/L/T’s during draft preparation • State/ local/ tribal agencies review and comment on draft NEI • EPA resolves issues and incorporates comments • Includes ‘shakedown’ for air quality modeling uses • Industry comments from sector studies/ regulatory analysis • EPA releases final NEI

10. Example QC/ QA Practices for US NEIPoint Sources Inventory • Checks / reports to data submitters: • ‘Top 10’ lists by pollutant/ source category • Missing facilities • Missing or erroneous pollutants from processes • Previous emission year comparisons/ outliers • Comparison to state/ national statistics • Data corrections/ augmentation: • Geo coordinates – census area, emission release points • Industrial classification (NAICS) • Regulatory program applicability codes • Stack parameters, i.e, consistency ht/diam; diam/velocity/flow • Units • Seasonal operating percentages (based on category specific profiles) • PM species – primary, filterable, condensible • Compare reported VOC and PM with sum of VOC HAP and PM HAPs

11. Challenges of the Current ProcessUS NEI • It’s a complex process • Accepts multiple file types • Relies on multiple data sources: whose data is correct? • Lacks a standard for review and comment • Requires too much time to format data and process corrections • Start from scratch each cycle • Takes three years to create an emissions inventory • Limited transparency • Inconsistent/limited access to NEI data • New challenges • Fully integrated multi-pollutant inventory (CAPs, HAPs, GHG) • Better spatial and temporal resolution desired to meet new program requirements • Shrinking resources requires more agreement and accountability among stakeholders

12. US NEI Reengineering:The Emissions Inventory System (EIS) • Reduce time to create a national ‘bottom up’ inventory from 3 years to 12 to 18 months • Streamlined data reporting requirements • Consistent file transmission method • Timely on-line access to draft inventory data • Enhance quality assurance • Centralized and standard QA protocol that applies to all data • Users will be able to QA their data prior to submission • New analysis functionality • Standard review and comment method • Improve access to data • Enhance capabilities to acquire, QA, store, and distribute a ‘bottom up’ GHG inventory