Air Quality 101: Clean

Air ActOverview/

Update

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Origins of the Clean Air Act

• Historic air pollution

• Donora, Pennsylvania, 1948

• 1970

• 1977 – PSD, tribes included

• 1990

• 2000 – 2006 updates

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Titles of the Clean Air Act

• Title I—PSD, NAAQS

• Title II—Mobile Sources

• Title III—HAPs

• Title IV—Acid Deposition

• Title V—Permits

• Title VI—Stratospheric Ozone

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CAA Amendments of 1990: Title I

NAAQS

• Attainment areas

• Non-attainment areas

• National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS)

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Criteria Pollutants

• Particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5)

• Lead

• NOx

• SO2

• CO

• VOCs (ozone precursors)

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Prevention of Significant Deterioration

• How the PSD rule was developed• Class I– Pristine• Class II– Moderate emissions

growth• Class III– Maximum emissions

growth

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New Source Review (NSR)

Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD)

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Attainment

Non-Attainment

NAAQS

Existing/Baseline(concentration)

( I )

( II )

( III )

Airshed Designations (Classes) Under the PSD Program

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PSD Redesignations1977–2009

• Northern Cheyenne

• Fort Peck

• Confederated Salish & Kootenai

• Spokane Tribe

• Forest County Potawatomi

• Yavapai Apache (not finalized)

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National Ambient Air Quality Standards

• EPA required to review every 5 years

• Recent changes– Ozone – PM – Lead

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NAAQS for Ozone (1997)

• 8-hour standard is 0.075 ppm

• 4th highest annual average value

• Average of 3 most recent years– e.g., (2004 + 2005 + 2006) / 3<0.075

ppm

• If >0.075 ppm, nonattainment

• 1-hour standard is 0.12 ppm

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NAAQS for PM10

• PM10 @ 150 µ/m3 (24-hour average)

99th % averaged over 3 years

• Will be vacated within 24 months

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NAAQS for PM2.5

• PM2.5 @ 15 µ/m3 (annual average)

• PM2.5 @ 35 µ/m3 (24-hour average)

98th % averaged over 3 years

(can be multiple locations)

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NAAQS for Lead

• Final rule signed Oct. 15, 2008

• 0.15 µ/m3 (rolling 90-day average)

• 1.5 µ/m3 (quarterly average)

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CAA Amendments of 1990: Section 112

Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPS)• 189 HAPS identified by Congress

– Caprolactam removed in 1996– Glycol Ethers and MEK removed in 2003 and 2005

• “Technology-Based Standards”– MACT/BACT

• Program can be delegated to states and tribes that seek authority

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National Visibility Goal

Prevention of future, & remedying of

existing, visibility impairment in

mandatory Class I federal areas resulting

from human-made air pollution

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Regional Haze Rule

• Promulgated July 1999

• Mandatory federal Class I areas

• One “deciview” improvement each 10 years

• Regional planning organizations

• SIP planning to attain background by 2064

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CAA Amendments of 1990: Title II

Mobile Source Provisions• Reserved for EPA (few exceptions)• New vehicle standards

– On-road– Off-road– Diesel– Locomotives– Gasoline formulations– Recently worked to include Administrations “10

in 20” GHG rules for mobile sources and fuels

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Title 3: General Provisions

• We generally call Section 112 “Title 3”

• Contains– Tribal Authority (301)– Disadvantages business– Emergency powers– Citizen suits– Administrative provisions and judicial review– Air quality monitoring and modeling

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CAA Amendments of 1990: Title IV

Acid Deposition Program• Establishes cap and trade allowances

for – Sulfur dioxide– Nitrogen oxides

• Program is working better than expected

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CAA Amendments of 1990: Title V

Operating Permits

• Major sources

• HAP sources and criteria pollutants

• Delegated to states and tribes

• Significant fees/revenues

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CAA Amendments of 1990: Title VI

Stratospheric Ozone Protection

• CFC production ban of 1996

• Bans on other substances to follow (e.g., CCl4 now banned)

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CAA Amendments of 1990: Summary

Six titles address major pollutants• Act still being tweaked, no major

rewrites since 1990• New actions likely to address climate

change• Evolving role of non-federal regulators

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State (and Tribal) Implementation Plans

• CAA §110 requires each state to submit a plan• Addresses NAAQS (CAA §109 & 40CFR 50.4 through

50.12)• Contains: control measures and strategies

– To “attain and maintain”

• Developed through a public process• Formally adopted by the state (legislation) and

submitted by the Governor’s designee• EPA reviews and approves if consistent with CAA

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State (and Tribal) Implementation Plans (cont.)

• CAA §110 specifies requirements applicable to all areas• Part D of Title 1 specifies additional requirements

applicable to nonattainment areas• SIP elements include:

– Emission inventories– Monitoring network– Air quality analysis– Modeling– Attainment demonstration– Enforcement mechanisms– Regulations adopted to maintain or attain NAAQS

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State (and Tribal) Implementation Plans (cont.)

• Contents of a typical SIP include1. Adopted control measures

• Rules/regulations or source specific requirements (orders and consent decrees)

2. Submitted comprehensive air quality plans• Attainment plans, maintenance plans, rate of progress plans,

transportation control plans• That demonstrate how these plans will bring about or keep air quality in

compliance with the NAAQS

3. Submitted “non-regulatory” programs• Emission inventories, compliance assistance programs, demonstrations

of legal authority, monitoring networks

4. Additional requirements promulgated by EPA

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State (and Tribal) Implementation Plans (cont.)

• Relationship to NAAQS– Plans provide for implementation, maintenance and

enforcement of the NAAQS– Areas designated non-attainment are subject to additional

planning and control requirements

• Federal Enforceability– Once approved, EPA is authorized to take enforcement

action against violators

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Summary

• Reviewed 1990 CAA Amendments

• Reviewed SIP/TIP requirements

• How SIP/TIP fits into CAA and AQM

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Any questions?

Darrel HarmonSenior Indian Program ManagerUS EPA Headquarters1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NWWashington DC 20460202-564-7416Harmon.darrel@epa.gov