Regional Planning for New
Air Quality Standards

By: Kelly Novak, Research Manager, NADO Research Foundation

Upon implementation of the new air quality standards, over 300 counties (many of which are rural and neighboring metropolitan areas) will be designated as “nonattainment areas” or areas where the monitored pollutant levels exceed standards and are considered unhealthful. In order to manage the increase in nonattainment areas, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other federal agencies, like the Department of Transportation (DOT), states and local governments and regional development organizations are working together to reduce air pollutants. Regional cooperation will play a significant role in preventing and overcoming nonattainment designations.

Arriving at Air Quality Standards

Under the Clean Air Act of 1970, EPA established National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for pollutants. There are two pollutant categories: stationary sources, like plant smokestacks, and mobile sources, like cars and snowmobiles.

The chief three criteria pollutants are as follows:

Ozone (03), an oxygen compound and the primary ingredient in smog.

Particulate Matter (PM) or solid particles and liquid droplets. The two PM sizes monitored are: PM₁₀, like windblown dust and PM_2.5, found in fuel combustions.

Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a gas, a product of incomplete fuel combustion. CO levels are highest in heavy traffic and monitored according to one-hour and eight-hour exposure standards.

In 1997, EPA set new air quality standard measures to be included in state air quality plans or State Implementation Plans (SIPs). The new ozone and PM_2.5 standards have been approved and are ready for implementation within the next three years. These new standards will increase the number of existing non-attainment areas, many of which will be rural. Regional development organizations are getting involved by spearheading early action planning and many will be including the standards in transportation planning.

Early Ozone Action Planning

EPA’s Early Ozone Action Program offers many local governments the opportunity to develop plans for the implementation of ozone reduction strategies instead of waiting for nonattainment designation by EPA. For some rural areas, like the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany region in southern Virginia, the likelihood of being designated was great, based on trial testing done with the eight-hour ozone monitoring. Thus the region, like several other rural or small metro regions, opted to form an Early Action Compact and commit to developing plans over the course of one year to meet the new air quality or ozone standards by 2007. This gives the region nearly three extra years to make changes and possibly prevent formal nonattainment designation.

Mark McCaskill, Senior Planner for Roanoke Valley- Alleghany Regional Commission, the regional entity that operates the Roanoke Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) and the organization leading the Early Action compact planning task force, further explained the benefits, “We are getting started now, because as a small metro area the cost of doing maintenance planning would far outweigh the dollar amount of Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) funds that we would be eligible for if we were to become a nonattainment area.”

Forming the Compact also has several advantages for small and rural communities. If Early Action Plans work, then the region does not fall into non-attainment and would not have to implement some of the nonattainment activities required under the Clean Air Act, such as:

Transportation Conformity: Requires regional long run transportation plans that do not negatively impact air quality, or federal transportation funds can be withheld.

New Source Review: Requires a review of new or expanded industrial operations to minimize air pollution.

Rate of Progress Requirements: A certain percentage of pollutants must be reduced each year.

10-year Maintenance Plan: After attainment and includes additional or continuing mandatory programs.

Currently, Roanoke Valley-Alleghany region’s funding support for the early action planning comes from the regional commission’s state DOT rural transportation planning budget allocations. The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality provides in-kind photo chemical modeling among other technical services.

Transportation Conformity

Transportation conformity activities or reducing mobile source pollutants are logical activities for regional development organizations in designated nonattainment areas. Many regional organizations are metropolitan planning organizations or manage rural and regional transportation planning. Activities such as improving transit services are a natural fit for regional development organizations because they also offer economic benefits.

Transportation conformity rules are still in the public comment process and will be released in the near future. According to Angela Spickard, an EPA team leader for air quality transportation conformity, “EPA is working to provide timely guidance and to reduce the burdens of implementation. All new nonattainment designations will be given a one-year grace period for implementation.” In areas where transportation improvement programs (TIPs) are not required, projects that are not federally funded will not have to submit to air quality transportation conformity measures unless the state DOT SIP stipulates otherwise.

For more information contact:

FHWA Planning and Environment Office of Natural Environment, 202/366-2048 or visit www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment.

EPA Air Quality Planning and Standards Office of Transportation and Air Quality 202/564-1682 or visit www.epa.gov/oar/oaqps/.

Mark McCaskill, Roanoke Valley Alleghany Regional Commission, 540/343-4417 or mccaskill@rvarc.org.

Web Resources for Air Monitor Location and New Standards

Criteria pollutants monitors and data: www.epa.gov/air/data/geosel.html

New PM2.5 data: www.epa.gov/oar/oaqps/pm25/

New 8-hour ozone implementation: www.epa.gov/ttn/rto/ozonetech/o3imp8hr/ o3imp8hr.htm#top

8-hour ozone monitors and data: www.epa.gov/ttn/rto/ozonetech/airquality.htm

Current air quality forecasts/data in your area: www.epa.gov/airnow/where/

EPA Launches 2003 Clean Air Excellence Awards Program

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is accepting entries for the fourth annual Clean Air Excellence Awards. The Clean Air Excellence Awards Program honors outstanding, innovative efforts that support progress in achieving cleaner air.

Open to both public and private entities in the United States, the program offers awards in six categories: Clean Air Technology, Community Development/Re-Development, Education/Outreach, Regulatory/Policy Innovations, Transportation Efficiency Innovations, and Outstanding Individual Achievement.

Entry packages are available at www.epa.gov/oar/caaac/clean_award.html and must be submitted as hard copies to EPA by September 10, 2003. For more information contact Paul Rasmussen of EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation at 202/564-1306 or rasmussen.paul@epa.gov.

Did You Know...

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, that the official “ozone season” extends from May through September?

Across the nation there are over 5,000 air monitoring sites?

New Clean Air Act standards could result in adding up to 300 counties to the “nonattainment” area list?

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