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EPA Air Quality Issues A n Update

Get the latest updates on the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), national rulemakings for emissions reductions, Clean Air Act enforcement, efforts to reduce emissions from mobile sources, greenhouse gases and climate change, and cross-media priorities.

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EPA Air Quality Issues A n Update

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  1. EPA Air Quality IssuesAn Update AWMA Southern Section2011 Annual Meeting & Technical Conference Pine Mountain, GA August 5, 2011 Beverly Banister, DirectorAir, Pesticides, and Toxics Management Division U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Atlanta, GA

  2. Today’s Topics… • Update on the NAAQS • Update on National Rulemakings for Emissions Reductions from Stationary Sources • Clean Air Act Enforcement • Update on Efforts to Reduce Emissions from Mobile Sources • Greenhouse Gases and Climate change • Cross Media Priorities

  3. Update on the NAAQS

  4. Current Schedule for Ongoing NAAQS Reviews NOTES: Underlined dates indicate court-ordered or settlement agreement deadlines; TBD – to be determined Next Ozone Review: Proposal in Sept 2013 and Final in Jun 2014 For more information see: http://epa.gov/ttn/naaqs/

  5. Air Monitoring Rule Dates

  6. Update on National Rulemakings for Emissions Reductions from Stationary Sources

  7. Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) • On July 6, 2011, EPA finalized CSAPR • Requires 27 states to significantly improve air quality by reducing power plant emissions that contribute to ozone and/or fine particle pollution in other states • Replaces EPA's 2005 Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR)

  8. Air Quality in Any One Place Is Affected by Sources in Many States • Air pollution can travel hundreds of miles and cause multiple health and environmental problems on regional or national scales • This rule reduces air emissions contributing to PM2.5 and ozone nonattainment that often travel across state lines: • SO2 and NOX contribute to PM2.5 transport • NOX contributes to ozone transport • Many areas are still violating the 1997 ozone and the 1997 and 2006 PM2.5 health-based air quality standards • Attaining national ambient air quality standards will require some combination of emission reductions from: • Sources located in or near nonattainment areas (local pollution) and • Sources located further from the nonattainment area (transported pollution)

  9. Cross-State Air Pollution Rule States • Cross-State Air Pollution Rule includes separate requirements for: • Annual SO2 reductions • Annual NOx reductions • Ozone-season NOx reductions *This map includes states covered in the supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking

  10. Upwind-Downwind Linkages in CSAPR States

  11. Estimated Annual Number of Adverse Health Effects Avoided Due to Implementing the CSAPR* *Impacts avoided due to improvements in PM2.5 and ozone air quality in 2014

  12. Power Plant Mercury and Air Toxics Standard • Proposed in Federal Register May 3, 2011 • First national standards to reduce emissions of toxic air pollutants from new and existing coal- and oil-fired power plants – often the biggest contributors to air pollution • Under court order to promulgate final standards by November 2011 • Standards would reduce emissions of: • Metals, including mercury (Hg), arsenic, chromium, and nickel • Acid gases, including hydrogen chloride (HCl) and hydrogen fluoride (HF) • Particulate matter • These pollutants are linked to cancer, IQ loss, heart disease, lung disease and premature death • Standards create uniform emissions-control requirements based on proven, currently in-use technologies and processes • Compliance timeline set by Clean Air Act: up to 4 years (3 years plus an additional year if granted by the permitting authority) • EPA is also proposing a new source performance standard (NSPS) for particulate, sulfur dioxide (SO2), and nitrogen oxide (NOX) emissions from new sources http://www.epa.gov/airquality/powerplanttoxics/actions.html

  13. oil and natural gas industry Proposal • July 28, 2011 - EPA proposed suite of cost-effective regulations to reduce harmful air pollution from the oil and natural gas industry • Based on proven technology and best practices that the oil and gas industry is using in some states today • Includes the first federal air standards for wells that are hydraulically fractured, along with requirements for several other sources of pollution in the oil and gas industry that currently are not regulated at the federal level. • Includes requirements for storage tanks and other types of equipment • Relies on operators' ability to capture and sell natural gas that currently escapes into the air • Includes four air regulations • NSPS for VOCs • NSPS for sulfur dioxide • RTR* for oil and natural gas production • RTR* for natural gas transmission and storage *Air Toxics Risk and Technology Review (RTR) of existing air toxics standards

  14. Benefits of this Rule are Significant • Cuts emissions of smog-forming volatile organic compounds (VOCs), air toxics such as benzene, and sulfur dioxide • VOCs: 540,000 tons, an industry-wide reduction of 25% • Methane: 3.4M tons (65M metric tons CO2e), a reduction of about 26% • Air Toxics: 38,000 tons, a reduction of nearly 30% • Estimated revenues from selling captured gas are significant – proposed rule is anticipated to quickly result in a net savings of nearly $30 million annually, while significantly reducing pollution from this expanding industry www.epa.gov/airquality/oilandgas

  15. Clean Air Act Enforcement

  16. CAA Enforcement • Air Toxics • Leak Detection and Repair, Industrial Flares, and Excess Emissions • NSR/PSD Priorities • Glass Manufacturing, Cement Manufacturing, Acid Manufacturing, and Coal-Fired Utilities • Port of Huntington Initiative • Chesapeake Bay Initiative

  17. Update on Efforts to Reduce Emissions from Mobile Sources

  18. Southeast Diesel Collaborative • Over 900 partners • By the Numbers: • 450 Projects • 53,000 engines • >513K tons of emissions reduced • ~14K buses, >3,000,000 children impacted • Funding • EPA Grants: ~ $65M • Partner Investment (leveraged): ~ $657M • FY 2011 SEDC Grant Competition • Awards pending approval of EPA FY 2011 budget (expect 2-3 project awards funded at $750K to $2M) www.southeastdiesel.org

  19. Mobile Emissions Modeling and Training • A new version of the MOtorVehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES) (versions 2010a) is available • Incorporates new car and light truck energy and greenhouse gas rates and a number of other improvements • Is used to calculate transportation project mobile source emissions • Emissions are used in air quality modeling for transportation conformity analyses

  20. Mobile Emissions Modeling and Training • Training for MOVES 2010a is available • For information on the 2-day MOVES2010a course, see: • A 3-Day PM Quantitative Hot-Spot Modeling Course (using MOVES 2010a) will be held in Atlanta on September 13 – 15, 2011 • Course is designed for modelers • To register contact Rick Smith: rsmith@dot.ga.gov http://www.epa.gov/otaq/models/moves/trainingsessions.htm

  21. New Fuel Economy Standards http://www.epa.gov/otaq/climate/regulations.htm#1-1

  22. Greenhouse Gasesand Climate Change

  23. Some key facts about Region 4…. Home to 20% of the population (with a large EJ component) We generated about 23% of electricity in U.S. (burning coal is a primary fuel source) in 2008 Responsible for about 25% of U.S. CO2 emissions (from power production) in 2008 We use more fuel and drive more miles than any other Region Energy Information Administration Federal Highways Administration U.S. Census Bureau

  24. Energy and Climate Change at EPA Region 4 • Our Priority Work Areas for FY11 • Reduce Energy Use: Actions to Promote Energy Efficiency and Conservation (e.g., Energy Star) • Mitigation: Actions to Reduce Greenhouse Gases (Mandatory rules, Voluntary programs) • Adaptation: Actions to Understand and Respond to Unavoidable Changes • Education: Actions to Inform Internal and External Stakeholders

  25. Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force • Executive Order of October 5, 2009, called on the Task Force to recommend how the policies and practices of Federal agencies can be made compatible with and reinforce a national climate change adaptation strategy • Task Force began meeting in Spring 2009 • Co-chaired by the White House CEQ, • NOAA, and the OSTP • Task Force is composed of more than 20 Federal agencies and Executive branch offices • Report completed October 5, 2010 • Federal Agencies currently preparing Agency-specific adaptation plans http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ceq/initiatives/adaptation

  26. Policy Goals & Recommended Actions for the Federal Government • Encourage and Mainstream Adaptation Planning across the Federal Government • Improve Integration of Science into Decision Making • Address Key Cross-Cutting Issues • Improve water resource management in a changing climate • Protect human health by addressing climate change in public health activities • Build resilience to climate change in communities • Facilitate the incorporation of climate change risks into insurance mechanisms • Address additional cross‐cutting issues • Enhance Efforts to Lead and Support International Adaptation • Coordinate Capabilities of the Federal Government to Support Adaptation

  27. Cross Media Priorities

  28. Children’s Environmental Health (CEH) Multiple CEH Concerns in US and Region 4 Our Priority Work Areas for FY11 Jacksonville Showcase CommunityProvide outreach/training in the community on lead, asbestos, asthma, and integrated pest management AppalachiaIdentify and work with schools and communities to address asthma and air toxics, asbestos, lead, and pesticide exposures Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership AcademyFurther the working relationship with the school, explore mentoring opportunities, and opportunities for outreach and education in the community served by the school

  29. Community Engagement & Environmental Justice • Cleaning Up Our Communities • Using all the tools at our disposal to focus on making safer, healthier communities • Maximize the potential of our brownfields program, particularly to spur environmental cleanup and job creation in disadvantaged communities • Develop enhanced strategies for risk reduction in our Superfund program, with stronger partnerships with stakeholders affected by our cleanups • Etc. • Expanding the Conversation on Environmentalism and Working for Environmental Justice • A new era of outreach and protection for communities historically underrepresented in EPA decision-making • Build strong working relationships with tribes, communities of color, economically distressed cities and towns, young people and others • Include environmental justice principles in all of our decisions

  30. North Birmingham, Alabama, Pilot Air Toxics Monitoring Study • Air toxics concentrations in North Birmingham communities will be evaluated and compared to health risk numbers • Air monitoring will occur for one year (began in June 2011) • Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) • Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) • Metals • 24-h composite samples collected every 6 days; Met data also collected

  31. Questions? www.epa.gov/ttn www.southeastdiesel.org www.epa.gov/cleanenergy www.epa.gov/climatechange www.epa.gov/crossstaterule/ www.epa.gov/airquality/oilandgas www.epa.gov/airquality/powerplanttoxics/ www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ceq/initiatives/adaptation Beverly Banister U.S. EPA; Atlanta, GA 404-562-9077

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