EPA Goes Google with Hi-Tech Online Air Quality Tools

Ever use your computer to "fly" through the mountains, or zoom in on a satellite picture of your house? Now you can use the same technology to learn more about emissions and air quality across the country and where you live.

EPA has developed two tools that allow users "see" air quality information on a virtual globe. Both tools were unveiled to the public on Monday.

"Google has changed the way people use the Internet. By combining their innovative mapping tools with our air data, EPA and Google are changing the way people use the Internet to protect their health," said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson.

The first tool is part of the new "Air Emission Sources" Web site, which is designed to make emissions data for six common pollutants easy to find and understand. Based on the latest National Emissions Inventory, the site uses charts and Google Earth files to answer a user’s questions. Users can look at overall emissions, emissions by type of industry, or emissions by largest polluter.

Want to know what industry emits the most sulfur dioxide in your state? Select your state from a map, pick a pollutant, and the site creates a chart showing you emissions by industry. Want to "see" which refineries in your state emit the most sulfur dioxide? Use the "tilt" feature in Google Earth to quickly find the largest emitter. Then click on the balloon to get more details about emissions from that facility.

EPA also is providing Air Quality Index (AQI) information in the Google Earth format. Use the AQI tool to quickly see air quality across the country, then click on a specific location to see that city’s AQI forecast and current levels of ozone or particle pollution.

The AQI is EPA’s color-coded tool to inform the public about daily air pollution levels in their communities. EPA, in collaboration with state and local governments, provides AQI forecasts and conditions for more than 300 cities across the United States.

See the Source:
EPA - Air Emissions Sources
View information in Google Earth format about which facilities emit any of six common pollutants
Air Quality Index forecasts and current conditions
See Acid Rain Program data

air pollution
particle pollution

Try Out the New EPA Tool to Check the Air You Breathe

AirCompare is a new EPA air quality tool, providing local air quality information to help people make educated decisions about moving, vacationing or living in different areas of the country.

"From people getting ready to retire to vacationers or those changing jobs, Americans are increasingly considering air quality as they make their plans," said Bill Wehrum, EPA's acting assistant administrator for Air and Radiation. "AirCompare helps answer those questions in a way that's simple to understand."

Using the EPA's Air Quality Index (AQI), AirCompare explains air quality from a health perspective. A person with asthma, for example, can use AirCompare to select up to 10 counties across the country -- and with the click of a button, find out how many days the air was unhealthy for asthmatics last year. Or someone planning a trip can find out the best time of year to visit a particular area, based on concerns about asthma, heart disease, outdoor activity, or just general interest.

See the Source:
EPA - AirCompare

air pollution

Mayday, Mayday – Breathing May Be Hazardous to Your Health

On this May 1st, here’s a rundown of air quality news:

• EPA reports the emissions data for 2006 indicates long term improvement in US air quality for 6 pollutants: NOx, ozone, SO2, particulate matter and lead. According to the EPA total emissions of these key pollutants have dropped 54% between 1970 to 2006.


• April 30 to May 4 is Air Quality Awareness Week. This year’s theme is “Be Air Aware: Keep an Eye on the AQI”. Established by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the EPA, this week is a reminder to the public of the importance of air quality forecasts in making health decisions.
  
  NOAA forecasts are updated twice daily on www.weather.gov/aq, providing hour-by-hour information on air quality for cities, suburbs, and rural areas located in the eastern US. Similar forecasts are now available for western United States through experimental products. Approximately 300 cities nationwide use the EPA’s Air Quality Index (AQI) found on http://www.airnow.gov/ to issue daily forecasts and offer steps that should be taken to reduce exposure to pollutants when levels are high.

• The American Lung Association has released its annual air quality report “State of the Air: 2007”, showing both good news and bad news. According to the report, the eastern United States shows an increase of almost double in the level of particle pollution, mainly due to an increase in power generation and coal-fired power plants. While in the west, deadly particle pollution has dropped. Overall, ozone has dropped throughout the entire country due to a reduction in NOx emissions thanks to 1990s air regulation requirements.
  
  Snapshots from the Report:
  According to the report, 46 percent (136 million people) of the U.S. population lives in 251 counties where they are exposed to unhealthful levels of air pollution in the form of either ozone or short-term or year-round levels of particles. About 38.3 million Americans -- nearly one in 8 people -- live in 32 counties with unhealthful levels of all three: ozone and short-term and year-round particle pollution.
  
  One-third of the U.S. population lives in areas with unhealthful levels of ozone, a significant reduction since the last report when nearly half did, yet 99 million Americans still live in counties with F grades for ozone.
  
  Roughly one in three (more than 93.7 million) people in the United States lives in an area with unhealthful short-term levels of particle pollution, a significant increase since the last report, which is only partially due to the new, slightly lower threshold of unhealthful air recognized in this report (based on the newly adopted national standards). Nearly one in five (more than 54 million) people in the United States lives in an area with unhealthful year-round levels of particle pollution.
  
  Los Angeles ranked as the most polluted city in the nation for all categories in the report, even though LA's pollution levels have dropped. Other cities ranking among the worst for ozone include several in southern California, as well as large cities in Texas and on the east coast, including Houston, Dallas, New York, Washington, DC, and Philadelphia. Other cities on the lists of the worst for particle pollution include many in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic states, including Pittsburgh, Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland, Washington, DC-Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York.
  
  With ozone pollution dropping in the eastern US, several cities returned to the list of most polluted cities despite improved ozone levels, including Atlanta, Phoenix, and Baton Rouge. They reappeared because of greater improvements by other cities. Some cities moved up to the worst cities for ozone list for the first time, including Las Vegas, Milwaukee and Kansas City.
  
  "The American Lung Association is fighting for tougher federal standards because they protect Americans from dangerous levels of air pollution," Dr. Weaver said. "Air pollution shortens lifespan, it lands our children and elderly in emergency rooms, and it can make children and teens more vulnerable to lung disease for the rest of their lives."

Top 10 cleanest U.S. cities for long-term particle pollution

1. Cheyenne, Wyoming

2. Santa Fe-Espanola, New Mexico

3. Honolulu, Hawaii

4. Great Falls, Montana

6. Flagstaff, Arizona

6. Tucson, Arizona

8. Anchorage, Alaska

8. Bismarck, North Dakota

10. Albuquerque, New Mexico

To find out how clean the air is in your community, go to http://www.lungusa.org/, enter your zip code in the widget and click go. A grade will be issued that is determined by high ozone and high particle pollution days. It also offers statistics for groups at risk according to the total population figures.

See the Source:
EPA – air quality and emissions trends
NOAA/EPA National Air Quality Awareness Week
Local air quality forecasts
NOAA
NOAA Air Quality Guidance (East U.S.)
NOAA Air Quality Guidance (West U.S.)
American Lung Association
Best and Worst Cities: State of the Air 2007

Air Quality for 2008 Beijing Olympics

A modeling study of the local and regional sources of air pollution which contribute to Beijing’s air quality has been conducted by a research team from the DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory, the EPA, the University of Tennessee, Tsinghua University, Peking University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The goal is to improve Beijing’s air quality for visitors and athletes to the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Funded by the EPA, the study will be used to educate and promote an understanding of air quality in developing countries, as well as emissions control technologies.

David Streets, a senior scientist in Argonne's Decision and Information Sciences Division, explains "Typical industrial, coal-burning cities within several hundred kilometers of Beijing add to the local pollution. In these areas, emission controls on stationary sources and vehicles are not as stringent as in Beijing, and emissions are high. Each province's contribution varies dramatically from day to day, depending on wind direction and other meteorological factors. "

See the Source:
Argonne National Laboratory

Find out:
About emissions control technology to reduce emissions from coal-fired power plants.

Possible Health Risk In Canadian Hockey Arenas Due to Particulate

According to CBC News, a recent investigation of Canadian hockey arenas shows a high level of ultra-fine particulate pollution which could contribute to asthma and some cardiovascular illnesses. Several recent studies show that exposure to ultra-fine particles can easily be lodged in the lunges leading to lung cancer and heart disease.

The CBC tested 42 arenas throughout Canada. 24% were at levels that could decrease lung capacity. 14% tested at high levels similar to standing next to the busiest highway in the Canada.

The high levels of particle pollution are being attributed to emissions from ice resurfacing machines routinely used to smooth the ice surface.

Kenneth Rundell who runs the human performance lab at Marywood University in Scranton, PA says, “We found ice-rink athletes, all the skating athletes, the figure skaters, the short track speed skaters and the hockey players had a higher prevalence of exercise induced asthma…and their lung function was chronically low.”

Proposed solutions for decreasing the level of ultra-fine particulate in arena air include better ventilation and changing ice resurfacing machines to electric rather than running on fossil-fuels.

See the Source:
CBC News – March 11, 2007
CBC News – March 13, 2007

Find out:
How fine particulate pollution can be decreased by using filters and catalysts

Light at the End of the Tunnel is Cleaner Air; EPA Cuts Diesel Locomotive and Vessel Pollution

EPA is proposing a new rule to ensure that Americans continue to breathe cleaner air by significantly reducing air pollution from locomotive and marine diesel engines. The Clean Air Locomotive and Marine Diesel Rule would set stringent emission standards and require the use of advanced technology to reduce emissions.

“By tackling the greatest remaining source of diesel emissions, we’re keeping our nation’s clean air progress moving full steam ahead,” said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. “Over the last century, diesels have been America’s economic workhorse, and through this rule, an economic workhorse is also becoming an environmental workhorse.”

When fully implemented, this landmark initiative would cut particulate matter emissions from these engines by 90 percent and nitrogen oxides emissions by 80 percent. This would result in annual health benefits of $12 billion in 2030 and reduce premature deaths, hospitalizations and respiratory illnesses across the United States. These benefits would continue to grow as older locomotive and marine engines are replaced. Overall benefits are estimated to outweigh costs by more than 20 to 1.

The Clean Air Locomotive and Marine Diesel Rule would tighten emission standards for existing locomotives when they are remanufactured. Additionally, the rule sets stringent emission standards for new locomotive and marine diesel engines and sets long-term regulations that require the use of advanced technology to reduce emissions.

Consistent with its other clean diesel successes, EPA worked collaboratively with diverse stakeholders, including engine and equipment manufacturers, technology companies, environmental groups and states. The proposal dramatically cuts emissions from all types of diesel locomotives, including line-haul, switch, and passenger rail, as well as from a wide range of marine sources, including ferries, tugboats, yachts and marine auxiliary engines. This includes small generator sets to large generators on ocean-going ships.

The locomotive remanufacturing proposal would take effect as soon as certified systems are available, as early as 2008, but no later than 2010. Standards for new locomotive and marine diesel engines would phase-in starting in 2009. Long-term standards would phase-in beginning in 2014 for marine diesel engines and 2015 for locomotives. The rule also explores a remanufacturing program for existing large marine diesel engines similar to the existing program for locomotives. Other provisions seek to reduce unnecessary locomotive idling.

The Clean Diesel Locomotive and Marine program is another major achievement in EPA's decade-long campaign to revolutionize diesel engines and the fuels they use – making diesel as much an environmental workhorse as an economic one. The proposal builds on both the Clean Air Nonroad Diesel Rule (announced May 11, 2004) and the Clean Diesel Truck and Bus Rule, (announced December 21, 2000).

See the Source:
Clean Diesel Locomotive
Clean Diesel Marine

Find out:
How diesel emissions can be reduced and particulate matter cleaned up using diesel particulate filters

EPA Actions Will Assure Air Permitting Programs Run Consistently and Smoothly

EPA is revising parts of its permitting process for certain new or modified industrial facilities in areas that do not meet EPA's health-based national air quality standards for ground-level ozone and fine particle pollution. The agency is taking two actions to ensure nationwide consistency as states implement the New Source Review (NSR) air permitting program.

In the first action, EPA is updating a section of its NSR regulations known as "Appendix S". Appendix S contains requirements states must rely upon to implement NSR in areas where the agency has not yet approved a state plan to implement the program. Appendix S will remain in place until EPA approves a state's implementation plan. This action will ensure national consistency with 2002 NSR reform rules for permitting new or modified industrial facilities in areas working to attain and maintain national air quality standards.

In the second action, EPA is seeking comment on two options for improving recordkeeping and reporting requirements for sources which make modifications that do not trigger NSR. EPA seeks input on whether a source should use its projected actual emissions increases or potential emissions increases as the basis for determining whether recordkeeping and reporting are required. EPA will accept comment on this rule for 60 days after publication in the Federal Register.

See the Source:
EPA – New Source Review

Find out:
How power plants can reduce NOx emissions using selective catalytic reduction

NERAM Launches Plan to Fight Air Pollution

WATERLOO, Ont. -- February 7, 2007 -- A University of Waterloo-based research network says scientific evidence of the effects of air pollution on human health and the environment is clear enough to support global efforts to continue reducing outdoor levels.

The Network for Risk Assessment and Management (NERAM) has developed with international experts a 12-point plan -- parts of which have been adopted in Europe -- to fight air pollution and improve public health. The plan, a policy guidance document on air quality management for local, regional and national policy-makers, is the result of a five-year NERAM colloquium series.

"It is now universally recognized that poor air quality has adverse impacts on human health and research confirms that residents in Southern Ontario and other parts of Canada are exposed to levels of air pollutants associated with morbidity and mortality," says UW professor emeritus John Shortreed, executive director of both NERAM and UW's Institute for Risk Research.

"The University of Waterloo has done five years of work in translating research from around the world for use in policies to improve health. We are ready to battle the No. 1 environmental killer -- air pollution."

The plan reflects the latest thinking of policy-makers and health researchers from around the world. The fifth and final colloquium was held in October in Vancouver.

Research shows that both short-term and long-term exposures to particulate matter and other air pollutants are statistically associated with serious human health effects, including premature death, heart-and breathing-related hospital admissions and emergency room visits, together with a worsening of asthma conditions.

"Scientific evidence of the effects of air pollutant exposure on human health and on the environment is strong enough to justify global efforts to continue to reduce outdoor concentrations, even in locations that meet air pollutant standards," Shortreed says.

He adds that Europe and Britain are already implementing the interim policies proposed by the NERAM colloquium series held in Rome in 2003 and in Mexico in 2005 to deal with hot spots, such as high traffic areas in cities like Toronto.

"They are using an innovative approach to regulations that actually allow some locations to exceed air quality standards, while imposing area-wide reductions that have many more health benefits -- the result is more health outcomes for existing regulatory resources."

Shortreed says that air pollution typically causes a white, yellow or brown haze that reduces visual range, affecting people's ability to enjoy their surroundings. In places like Hong Kong, for instance, the impaired visibility caused by haze or smog is used as a means to show the public the link between high air pollution concentrations and increased health costs.

Topics covered in the NERAM document include air quality and human health, emission inventories, air quality management approaches and evidence of effectiveness, as well as challenges and opportunities in air quality management.

The plan includes the following strategic policy directions for air quality management:
1. Communication of health effects is key to increasing public awareness and demand for air quality management policies.
2. Increase awareness of linkages between air quality and climate change.
3. Cross-sectoral policies in energy, environment, climate, transport, agriculture and health.
4. Exposure reduction and continuous improvement policies are important extensions to ambient air quality standards.
5. Reducing exposure to combustion-generated particles should be a priority, such fossil fuels and biomass.
6. Evidence is sufficient to justify policies to reduce traffic exposures.
7. Prioritize pollutants and sources based on the potential for exposure.
8. Policies focused on improving visibility may gain greater support than those focused solely on health.
9. International harmonization of measurements and metrics, emission inventories, modelling tools, assessment of health effects literature and health-related guidelines.
10. More research on toxicity-determining characteristics of particulate matter and more evaluation of local, regional and global policies.

Shortreed says there are many epidemiological (human population) studies carried out in North America and Europe that have demonstrated statistically significant ties between ambient levels of particulate matter and other air pollutants and a variety of human health problems, including death and hospital admissions for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.

NERAM has already started a regional initiative in the Greater Toronto Area along with Pollution Probe to apply some of the research results in order to tackle the thousands of premature deaths every year in Ontario.

The main goal of NERAM is to integrate the scientific knowledge and expertise that exists across many diverse disciplines in Canada, thereby providing a comprehensive approach to environmental risk assessment and risk management. As a result, there will be more effective and efficient environmental protection practices.

See the Source:
Network for Environmental Risk Assessment and Management

Find out:
How to reduce toxic particulate matter from diesel emissions by retrofitting engines with the CleanAIR PERMIT Filter

States, Enviros Sue EPA Over Cement Factory Emissions

ALBANY, New York – February 21, 2007 -- New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo today announced a multi-state legal challenge to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, for adopting a rule that refuses to regulate mercury and other pollutants from existing portland cement plants.

The states seek to have a federal court overturn the rule by finding that it violates the Clean Air Act.

A petition, signed by nine states, was filed today in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The states joining New York in the petition are Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

Portland cement is the primary cement used in building projects and road construction. It is produced throughout the United States. Collectively, these cement plants are a major source of mercury emissions nationwide.

The federal Clean Air Act requires the EPA to set standards for various hazardous air pollutants, including mercury, based on the performance of the cleanest 12 percent of existing plants.

The EPA’s rule would exempt existing portland cement plants from having to do anything to lower their emissions of mercury and other hazardous air pollutants.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) refusal to set emission standards for portland cement plants leaves a significant source of mercury pollution in the United States unregulated.

Mercury in the environment is blamed for neurological disorders, learning disabilities, and, in certain high dosage cases, even death. Recent studies suggest that mercury exposure may also contribute to adult cardiovascular problems. In addition, mercury contamination in many water bodies has led to the issuance of fish consumption advisories across New York State.

This will be the second time that the EPA has been challenged over its failure to set mercury pollution standards for the portland cement industry. In 2000, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit directed the EPA to set mercury standards. The EPA has since ignored the court’s ruling.

'It is shameful that the Bush Administration’s EPA continues to abdicate its responsibility to protect public health and the environment. This coalition of states is resorting to the federal courts in an effort to compel the EPA to follow the law and establish limits for the most dangerous pollutants,' said Cuomo.

'This is just another instance in a long line of examples of the Bush Administration caving to industry lobbyists at the expense of the health concerns of ordinary citizens.'

On Friday in the same court, environmentalists brought their own lawsuit against the EPA for its latest refusal to limit cement kilns' mercury emissions.

Earthjustice is representing Sierra Club, the Texas group Downwinders At Risk, the Huron Environmental Activist League from Michigan, Friends of Hudson from New York, California's Desert Citizens Against Pollution, and Montanans Against Toxic Burning in the lawsuit.

'Once again the EPA has failed to put public health first,' said Carl Pope, Sierra Club executive director. 'The agency ignored the law. They have ignored the courts and they have ignored public health for too long.'

The agency estimates that 118 cement kilns emit over 11,000 pounds of mercury each year, making cement kilns one of the largest sources of mercury pollution.

The nation's single largest mercury polluter of any kind is a cement kiln in southern California, which emitted over 2,500 pounds of mercury in 2004.

See the Source:
Environment News Service

Air Quality Site Reports Daily Air Quality

AIRNow is a daily update of the Air Quality Index (AQI) reporting how clean or polluted the air is in your neighborhood. Five major air pollutants (ground-level ozone, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide) are used by the EPA to calculate the AQI.

Using this information, the AIRNow website offers daily AQI forecasts and real-time conditions for over 300 metropolitan areas in the United States. The user-friendly website is a government-backed program, developed collaboratively by the EPA, NOAA, NPS, tribal, state, and local news agencies to assist the public in understanding the health effects of breathing polluted air.

See the Source:
AIRNow

Find out:
How particulate matter can be reduced using diesel particulate filters from CleanAIR Systems

Los Angeles County Ports Issue RFP for Emissions-Reducing LNG Trucks

RFP Workshop Slated for February 20th at the Port of Los Angeles

SAN PEDRO, Calif.--(February 15)--The San Pedro Bay ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach -- the nation’s two leading containerports -- have issued a joint Request for Proposals (RFP) to seek qualified applicants for a new Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Truck Program. The effort is a component of the milestone San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan approved last November. An LNG-powered truck fleet could help the world’s fifth largest port complex reduce particulate matter (PM) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) by 80 to 90 percent.

Financial incentives through this Program will fund up to a maximum of $144,000 per truck. The Program is open to fleets of any size, including independent operators.

Proposals will be accepted through 5:00 p.m. on March 19, 2007, and an applicant workshop will be held February 20, 2007, at the Port of Los Angeles Administration Building, 425 S. Palos Verdes St., San Pedro, CA, 90731. Detailed information and proposal requirements are available on the Port’s website at www.portoflosangeles.org.

“Replacing the thousands of dirty diesel trucks that call at our ports on a daily basis is a major component of the San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan,” said Geraldine Knatz, Ph.D., executive director at the Port of Los Angeles. “Nearly 22,000 truck trips occur at the port complex in a single day, and the more we can do to make sure these are clean, non-polluting trucks, the better it is for all of us. No port in the world has committed to a project like this – and in Southern California, you have two ports sharing a commitment to significantly reduce port-related air pollution by implementing fleet programs which promote LNG, electric and clean diesel technologies.”

Under the LNG Truck Program, heavy-duty diesel trucks older than 1989 would be scrapped and replaced with a 2006 model year, or newer, heavy-duty LNG truck. The Ports have allocated a total of $8 million each to the project, and the South Coast Air Quality Management District has allocated $6 million, for a total of $22 million for the LNG Truck Program.

All vehicles funded under the LNG Truck Program are required to have electronic monitoring units with global positioning system capability installed prior to delivery of the vehicle, and verification must be provided to the Port of Los Angeles prior to releasing the vehicle. The minimum requirements to receive the maximum award under the Program include 48,000 annual miles with at least 75% of these miles occurring within the South Coast Air Quality Basin, and trucks must make at least seven trips to the Ports per week. Contract term will be a minimum of three years.

This RFP does not cover the costs for fuel, maintenance, infrastructure, or consultant services. Specifics on the gross vehicle weight rating, engine parameters, tilting, maintenance, insurance, electronic monitoring unit, warranty and vehicle scrapping are found in the RFP, which is available at http://www.portoflosangeles.org/.

Under the LNG Truck Program RFP, applicants are required to secure their own fueling through construction of a fueling station on fleet property or through an agreement with an independent mobile fuel provider. A related RFP is currently being issued by the Ports seeking construction of a centralized LNG fueling and maintenance facility; however, this facility will not be in place before the operation of the LNG Truck Program begins. For more information on the San Pedro Bay Ports LNG Truck Program RFP, please contact Kevin Maggay at (310) 732-3947 or kmaggay@portla.org.

Celebrating its Centennial in 2007, the Port of Los Angeles is America's premier port. As the leading seaport in the nation in terms of shipping container volume and cargo value, the Port generates 259,000 regional jobs and $8.4 billion in annual wages and tax revenues. A proprietary department of the City of Los Angeles, the Port is self-supporting and does not receive taxpayer dollars. At the Port of Los Angeles, high priority is placed on responsible and sustainable growth initiatives, combined with high security, environmental stewardship and community outreach. For its industry leading environmental initiatives, the Port received two Environmental Protection Agency awards in 2006. The Port of Los Angeles – A Cleaner Port. A Brighter Future.

See the Source:
The Port of Los Angeles

Find out:
More about reducing emissions on off- and on-road diesel vehicles using the CleanAIR PERMIT Filter

Hawaii Joins EPA in Boosting Clean, Efficient Energy Use

State Aims to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions

(Washington, D.C. - Feb. 12, 2007) Hawaii today agreed to work with EPA in developing its own action plan for clean energy.

As the newest partner in EPA's Clean Energy-Environment State Partnership, Hawaii joins 14 other states working with EPA to develop strategies to promote cost-effective energy efficiency, clean distributed generation (consumers generating heat / electricity for their own needs via on-site production), renewable energy, and other clean energy sources that can provide air quality and other benefits. Hawaii currently imports most of its fuel but through its work with the partnership, it hopes to reduce its dependence on these imports through increased energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy sources.

"I am pleased to welcome Hawaii to the Clean Energy-Environment State Partnership," said Bill Wehrum, acting assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Air and Radiation. "Each new partner increases our ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, strengthen our energy independence, and improve air quality."

"The state of Hawaii is at the forefront of clean energy and environmental initiatives. This partnership will strengthen the state's position as we undertake new programs promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy sources," said Maurice Kaya, Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism.

Under the partnership program, launched in February 2005, partner states agree to work with EPA to develop and implement a state-specific Clean Energy-Environment State Action Plan that contains one or more clean energy-environment goals. EPA provides partner states with a comprehensive technical assistance package of planning, policy, technical, analytical and information resources, and works to establish linkages to other federal programs that support clean energy-environment strategies. Partners also benefit by learning from their peers about successful programs and policies at work in other states, identifying themselves as environmental and clean energy leaders, and receiving EPA recognition for the environmental benefits that result from their efforts.

Hawaiian officials signed a Memorandum of Agreement with EPA at the National Association of State Energy Officials winter meeting in Washington, D.C., today.

The other states in the partnership: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Utah.

See the Source:
The Clean Energy-Environment State Partnership

Find out:
How low-temperature selective catalytic reduction is helping to reduce NOx emissions from power plants and create cleaner energy.

ARB announces 2007 State Implementation Plan for Ozone

Sacramento - The California Air Resources Board (ARB) today announced its new state strategy to attain the new federal one hour air quality standard for ozone.

"The State Implementation Plan (SIP) is the blueprint for how the state will meet the federal one hour ozone standard. The plan assures attainment of clean air standards as quickly as possible through technically feasible and cost-effective measures," said Catherine Witherspoon, ARB Executive Officer.

The strategy announced today will reduce ozone-forming emissions in the South Coast Air Basin (the greater Los Angeles region) and the San Joaquin Valley by as much as one half between now and 2024. The state strategy combined with local measures proposed by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) and the San Joaquin Valley Air Quality Management District make up the 2007 plan for attaining the federal one hour ozone standard. The ozone plan is due to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) by June 15, 2007.

The state's plan for the South Coast Air Basin (the greater Los Angeles area) will reduce photochemical ozone-forming emissions by 212 tons per day (tpd) in 2024. The proposed strategy builds on existing ARB programs that will reduce smog forming emissions in the South Coast by 670 tpd in 2024. The South Coast Air Quality Management District is expected to adopt regional measures that will cut another 32 tpd of ozone-forming emissions.

The San Joaquin Valley plan calls for new measures that will reduce ozone-forming emissions by 68 tons per day in 2024. Existing State programs will eliminate 473 tpd by 2024. The Valley's air quality agency is proposing its own measures that will cut an additional 54 tpd in that time period. The plan projects attainment for all other areas of the state of the federal standard by 2020.

The state strategy will also reduce emissions that form fine particulates (PM-2.5) by approximately 40 percent in the SCAQMD by 2015. However, the nature of particulate pollution is technically complex. The ARB proposes to use the remainder of 2007 to refine the science and revisit the particulate strategies for those regions. The federal PM 2.5 plan is due to USEPA in April 2008.

Mobile source measures are the heart of the ARB strategy with modernization of California's diesel fleets an essential near-term goal. The measures make up 90 percent of the reductions identified in the SIP. "The legacy fleet of older, higher polluting trucks, buses, locomotives and off-road equipment will continue to slow our progress toward cleaner air and currently is our biggest hurdle. Natural turnover is slow for engines designed to last for decades. Therefore, the state strategy is to focus on programs that will clean up or replace those engines through a comprehensive package of regulations, incentives and efforts by the goods movement industries as quickly as possible," Witherspoon added.

The SIP is a comprehensive strategy designed to attain federal air quality standards as quickly as possible through a combination of technologically feasible and cost-effective measures. It outlines ARB staff's assessment of how far adopted regulations will take us towards attainment of federal standards, what new actions can be taken, and what are the earliest feasible timeframes for meeting those standards.

The Air Resources Board is a department of the California Environmental Protection Agency. ARB's mission is to promote and protect public health, welfare, and ecological resources through effective reduction of air pollutants while recognizing and considering effects on the economy. The ARB oversees all air pollution control efforts in California to attain and maintain health based air quality standards.

See the Source:
California Air Resource Board

Find out:
How to reduce fine particulate emissions from diesel engines using the CleanAIR PERMIT Filter

Ohio Plant Fined $750,000 for Air Pollution Violations

Company Also to Cut Future Emissions

(Washington, D.C. - Feb. 6, 2007) A Cincinnati-area nitric acid production facility will pay $750,000 in civil penalties to settle violations of the New Source Review (NSR) provisions of the Clean Air Act uncovered by EPA. The parent companies also agreed to install state-of-the-art pollution control equipment at the facility that will reduce nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions by more than 200 tons per year.

EPA issued Notices of Violation to Agrium US Inc. and Royster-Clark Inc. in October 2006 for making construction modifications to a North Bend, Ohio, facility in the mid-1990s without first obtaining necessary federal pre-construction permits and installing the required pollution control equipment. The un-permitted modifications caused the facility to emit more NOx than allowed by federal law.

"This company increased its profits by ignoring environmental laws," said Granta Nakayama, EPA's assistant administrator for enforcement and compliance assistance. "The EPA will continue enforcing against companies that refuse to comply with regulations intended to protect public health and our air, water and land."

The facility releases NOx as part of its nitric acid production process. Nitric acid is used to make fertilizer, explosives and organic chemicals.

NOx causes severe respiratory problems, contributes to childhood asthma, acid rain, climate change, smog and haze, and impairs visibility in national parks. Emissions from nitric acid plants can be carried significant distances downwind, causing air quality problems in nearby states.
The Clean Air Act requires that major sources of air pollution must first obtain a permit before making any changes that would result in a significant emissions increase of any pollutant. EPA's regulations ensure that air quality is not significantly degraded from the addition of new and modified factories, industrial boilers and power plants.

EPA's national goals include focusing on improving compliance among certain industries with significant potential for environmental harm due to air emissions. These industries include the acid production, cement manufacturing, and glass manufacturing facilities.

Agrium, a Colorado corporation, purchased the plant from Royster-Clark, a Delaware corporation, last September.

The settlement will be filed with the Southern District Court of Ohio for 30 days to allow for public comment. The companies are required to pay the penalty within 30 days after the court approves the settlement.

See the Source:
Agrium/Royster-Clark Clean Air Act settlement
EPA, Reporting air and water violations

Find out:
About CleanAIR’s SCR Catalyst to reduce nitrogen oxides

EPA's FY 2008 Budget Focuses on Next Phase of Environmental Progress

(Washington, D.C. - Feb. 5, 2007) Pointing to 36 years of progress under both Republican and Democratic administrations, EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson today released his agency's $7.2 billion fiscal year 2008 budget. The new budget emphasizes using more citizen-partners as EPA shifts into the next phase of environmental progress – the green culture.

"As our nation shifts to a green culture, Americans are realizing that environmental responsibility is everyone's responsibility. Today, EPA has 300 million citizen-partners in our efforts to accelerate the pace of environmental protection," said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. "President Bush's budget request will fund EPA's role as our country enters this next phase of environmental progress."

The proposed 2008 spending plan includes $549.5 million for enforcement operations, the largest amount ever dedicated to that agency responsibility. It is a $9.1 million increase over the fiscal year 2007 amount.

This budget also features a major effort to restore, improve and protect four of the nation's most important water assets.

Chesapeake Bay: An additional $2 million, for a total of $28.8 million, to build on the continuing efforts of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia, increase the pace of restoration, and implement the most cost-effective nutrient and sediment controls and key habitat restoration strategies.

Puget Sound: $1 million to focus on the highest-priority environmental challenges such as improving water quality, lifting shellfish harvest restrictions, and cleaning up contaminated sediments.

Gulf of Mexico: $4.5 million to assist the Gulf States and other stakeholders in developing a framework for restoring and protecting the Gulf. EPA is working with 12 other federal agencies and five states in the Gulf of Mexico Alliance to implement the 2004 U.S. Ocean Action Plan.

Great Lakes: $56.8 million to continue working with states and local communities to reduce PCB concentration by 25 percent in predatory fish and keep monitored beaches open 95 percent of the time during the summer season.

The budget also requests an additional $687.5 million for clean water grants and $842.2 million for drinking water grants.

With a focus on improving air quality, the president's budget includes:
· $117.9 million for EPA's climate change programs to build upon partnership efforts to achieve reductions in US greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to the president's plan to reduce greenhouse gas intensity by 18 percent in 2012;
· $44 million for Energy Star programs for the commercial, residential and industrial sectors to continue voluntary government/industry partnership programs designed to capitalize on the opportunities that consumers, businesses, and organizations have for making sound investments in efficient equipment, policies, and practices;
· $5 million for the Asia Pacific Partnership to support international efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and
· $4.4 million for Methane to Markets to promote methane recovery and use at landfills, coal mines and natural gas facilities.

The budget also includes $35 million for National Clean Diesel Campaign grants to help meet the mandates of the Energy Act and promote more energy efficient technologies. The $35 million is estimated to leverage an additional $72 million in funding assistance and reduce particulate matter by approximately 5,040 tons, which will achieve $1.4 billion in health benefits.

With a focus on promoting scientific research, the president's budget includes:
· $123.8 million for Clean Air and related research, a $7.5 million increase to improve research related to cyclical review of criteria air pollutants, study near-road air pollution, and support work with NOAA to develop the Community Multi-scale Air Quality (CMAQ) modeling system;
· $10.2 million for Nanotechnology Research, an increase of $1.6 million to identify potential uses and study nano-scale materials that are subject to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) requirements.

In addition, the budget requests a total of $1.245 million for Superfund (including a $3.2 million increase over FY 2007 Request for the Superfund Remedial program) and $162.2 million for the Brownfields program.

See the Source:
The President's FY 2008 budget request for EPA

Find out:
How CleanAIR Systems is cleaning up diesel emissions

EPA Completes Second Step in Ongoing Ground-Level Ozone Air Quality Standards Review

A key document in EPA's review of national air quality standards for ozone will recommend the administrator consider strengthening the current ozone standards to better protect public health. The document, known as the "final staff paper," contains staff recommendations for the administrator to consider in upcoming decisions about revising the agency's ozone standards.

The Clean Air Act requires EPA to periodically review its air quality standards to ensure they continue to protect health and the environment, and to update the standards if necessary. EPA last updated the standards for ozone in 1997.

The final ozone staff paper addresses a primary standard, designed to protect public health; and a secondary standard, set to protect the public welfare, including crop health.

· Primary standard: The final staff paper concludes that the current primary standard is not adequate to protect public health. Staff made this conclusion based on an expanded body of scientific evidence that shows significant ozone health effects occur even in areas with ozone levels below the current standard.

Staff recommends a range of levels for the administrator to consider in setting the ozone standard. That range extends from below 0.080 ppm down to 0.060 ppm. The previous draft of the staff paper identified options that included retaining the current standard of 0.084 ppm, along with a range of alternative levels down to 0.064 (the lowest level analyzed), with a focus on a level of 0.07 ppm.

The final staff paper also recommends specifying the level of the standard to three decimal places. Ozone air quality measurements have advanced sufficiently to now reflect that level of precision.

· Secondary Standard: The final staff paper recommends the administrator set a secondary standard to protect against ozone damage to welfare, including damage to plants. This includes damage to natural vegetation, forests and commercial crops. Staff recommended a standard that is a cumulative, weighted total of daily 12-hour exposures over a three-month period within the growing season. It would give greater weight to exposures at higher ozone concentrations.

Staff also recommended a range for this standard, from 21 parts per million-hours to 7 parts per million-hours.

EPA will make the final ozone staff paper available on the web on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2007. Also this week, the agency will release technical documents used in developing the staff paper. These documents include a health risk assessment for meeting the current ozone standards along with potential alternative standards, and an assessment of the effects of ozone on vegetation.

The assessments, conclusions and recommendations included in the staff paper are staff judgments. They do not represent agency decisions on the ozone standards. EPA will propose action on the ozone standards by June 20, 2007 and take final action by March 12, 2008.

EPA recently changed the process for reviewing the National Ambient Air Quality Standards to streamline future such reviews to ensure the agency meets its five-year deadlines for reviewing the standards.

Emissions of the pollutants that contribute to ground-level ozone have decreased by nearly 50 percent since 1970, and EPA, and state and local agencies have a number of programs in place to continue this progress.

See the Source:
Final Ozone Staff Paper and Fact Sheet
Technical Support Documents

Find out:
The impact of NOx, a major contributor to ground-level ozone, and how to decrease NOx emissions by up to 95% using CleanAIR's selective catalytic reduction.

My Power Plant is Cleaner Than Yours

The Dallas Business Journal reports on a battle of emissions and words being waged between various Texas power plants. Comparing the clean-up efforts of TXU Corp., NRG Energy Inc., CPS, LS Power Development and PNM Resources, the publication discusses what these power companies have and have not done to reduce emissions of CO2, NOx, SOx and mercury.

Between “spin” and actual numbers, controversy is the order of the day with TXU claiming their plan to build 11 new coal-fired power plants will actually help clean up air pollution and is challenging all other develops to follow suite. Not so fast, proclaims City Public Works (CPS) of San Antonio. CPS decided to voluntarily reduce emissions since 1997, accepting “the lowest permitted emission rates of NOx on an annual basis in the United States.”

Using a combination approach of: installing new emissions control technology, retiring older plants, balancing coal with other clean alternative power, and purchasing emissions credits, the state’s power developers are in a race to comply with state regulations, build a positive image with local communities and environmental organizations and, as a result, reduce toxic emissions along with air pollution in the state of Texas.

See the Source:
Dallas Business Journal

Find out:
How fossil-fuel power plants can reduce NOx with the CleanAIR ENDURE SCR Catalyst.

New Research Centre to Tackle Atmospheric and Air Pollution Problems

A new University of Hertfordshire Research Centre which will contribute to international research on air quality, pollution, and issues associated with understanding climate behaviour, has been formed this month.

The Centre for Atmospheric and Instrumentation Research (CAIR) which is based at the University’s College Lane campus was formed by bringing together three long-standing research areas within the Science and Technology Research Institute: Atmospheric Dynamics and Air Quality, led by Professor Ranjeet Sokhi; Particle Instruments and Diagnostics, led by Professor Paul Kaye; and Light Scattering and Radiative Processes, led by Dr Joseph Ulanowski.

These areas have together attracted some £4 million in research grants over the past five years for work in atmospheric modelling and measurement and enjoy strong collaborative links with organisations throughout Europe and the USA. CAIR already has a substantial portfolio of research projects with a critical mass of high quality research staff and students.

Professor Sokhi welcomed the new Centre: “Jointly, the three teams now provide us with an enhanced capacity to participate in international collaborations at a significantly higher level, with correspondingly increased funding, but also have the combined expertise to help tackle some of the multidisciplinary issues facing atmospheric science.”

Professor Kaye said: “Our instrumentation and measurement research work grew out of the need to detect harmful airborne particles such as asbestos fibres or bacteria. Now, our efforts are focused on developing instruments for atmospheric research organisations such as the Met Office and NCAR (US National Centre for Atmospheric Research). Merging with our own atmospheric scientists in the University’s Science and Technology Research Institute (STRI), who have established collaborations across Europe, can only enhance or further strengthen our profile.”

Dr Joseph Ulanowski stressed the benefits of working in a diverse research environment. “When the STRI was established, one of the anticipated benefits of bringing together engineers, physicists, astronomers and computer scientists was the prospect of being able to explore interdisciplinary areas that require a broad range of knowledge and research skills. CAIR must be the largest example so far of that policy bearing fruit.”

More details of CAIR research can be found at http://strc.herts.ac.uk/cair/

EPA Plan Would Leave 77 Million Americans Vulnerable To Deadly Pollution

New York City, NY – September 13, 2006 – More than 77 million Americans could be left vulnerable to deadly particle pollution if the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) follows through with a proposal to set weak public health standards for the pollutant, according to a new American Lung Association report.

By contrast, stronger new pollution standards supported by the Lung Association and other major medical and public health groups would protect 159 million people, the report concludes.
The report, Clean Air Decision 2006, was released as the EPA is about to announce a final decision on national air quality standards for particle pollution (soot), the most lethal of all air pollutants. It is produced by coal burning power plants, trucks, trains, traffic and other smokestack industries. The EPA is under a court order to announce a final decision on new standards by September 27.

“This is the most important public health decision the EPA will make this year. The decision will impact the health and lives of millions of people nationwide who currently breathe dirty, particulate-polluted air,” noted John L. Kirkwood, President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Lung Association. “The EPA has a clear choice: Endorse strong new standards that will fully protect Americans from this deadly pollutant; or, the agency can continue to side with polluting industries and consign our citizens to years of choking pollution. We hope the EPA will make its decision based on science, not politics.”

Kirkwood explained that the public health standards “are the heart and lungs of the Clean Air Act.” They define the levels of air pollution that are safe for people to breathe. Every community in the nation must meet those standards through specific pollution cleanup programs such as controls on electric power plants.

The EPA last revised the particle standards in 1997. Since then, more than 2,000 peer-reviewed studies have been published on the health effects of particle pollution. The studies not only confirm earlier research that showed exposure to particle pollution causes sickness, hospital admissions and premature death, but that harm occurs even when pollution levels are well below current standards. People most vulnerable to particle pollution include children, senior citizens, and people with such chronic conditions as asthma, heart disease and diabetes. The American Lung Association, the American Medical Association and many other health and medical groups have urged the EPA to set tougher standards for both short- and long-term exposure to particle pollution. EPA’s own staff scientists and science advisers also have concluded that the current standards are not adequate to protect people’s health.

Despite this overwhelming evidence, the EPA has proposed making no change in the standard that governs annual exposure to particle pollution. It did propose a slight adjustment in the standard that governs daily exposure to the pollutant, though a much weaker standard than others under consideration.

“Scientific evidence overwhelmingly supports the need for tougher standards both for long-term and short-term exposure to this deadly pollutant,” Janice Nolen, Lung Association Director of National Policy, declared.

In its report, the Lung Association analyzed the public health consequences of four different pairs of annual and daily standards, using EPA data from particle pollution monitors in counties nationwide from 2002-2004.

The report estimates the total number of people protected on the county, state and national levels under each of these pairings as well as the number of people protected on the state and national levels for eight sensitive groups: those under 18, those 65 and over, and those with pediatric asthma, adult asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, heart disease and diabetes.
To get a copy of the full Clean Air Decision 2006 report, go to the American Lung Association’s website at www.lungusa.org.

About the American Lung AssociationBeginning our second century, the American Lung Association is the leading organization working to prevent lung disease and promote lung health. Lung disease death rates continue to increase while other leading causes of death have declined. The American Lung Association funds vital research on the causes of and treatments for lung disease. With the generous support of the public, the American Lung Association is “Improving life, one breath at a time.” For more information about the American Lung Association or to support the work it does, call 1-800-LUNG-USA (1-800-586-4872) or log on to www.lungusa.org.