Air Quality, Land Use and Transportation Planning in the Unifour Area

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• Air Quality, Land Use and Transportation Planning
  in the Unifour Area

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Two Major Unifour Air Pollutants

• Ground Level Ozone
• (Smog)
• PM 2.5
• (Soot or Haze)

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Ozone is

• Good Up High Bad Nearby
• Not emitted directly into the atmosphere.
• Formed through complex photochemical reactions.
• A contributor to respiratory ailments.

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What are the Health Risks of Ozone?

• When inhaled, even at low levels, ozone can
• Cause inflammation of lung tissue
• Cause acute or chronic respiratory problems
• Aggravate and possibly trigger asthma
• Decrease lung capacity
• Lead to reduced lung function in later life for
  children with repeated exposure.
• Increased hospital admissions and emergency room
  visits
• Impairs immune system, making people more
  susceptible to respiratory illness, including
  bronchitis and pneumonia
• Temporary decrease in lung capacity of 15 to
  over 20 in some healthy adults

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PM2.5 is

• A complex mixture of extremely small particles
  and liquid droplets.
• 28 times smaller than a human hair.
• Able to penetrate deep into the lungs causing
  serious health issues.

Hair cross section (70 mm)
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Why are fine particles bad?

• Fine particles penetrate deeper into the lungs.
• Exposure can lead to premature death and
  aggravation of heart and lung disease.
• May be a link to lung cancer deaths, infant
  mortality and developmental problems.

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Sources of Fine Particulate Matter
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Regional Nonattainment Issues for Both
Pollutants any area that does not meet (or
that contributes to ambient air quality in a
nearby area that does not meet) the national
primary or secondary ambient air quality
standard for the pollutant.
Includes areas with violating monitors AND areas
contributing to the problem.
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EPA designated the Hickory-Morganton-Lenoir area
nonattainment of the 8 hour ozone standard in
April 2004. EPA designated Catawba County
nonattainment of the fine particulate standard in
December 2004.
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Ozone Monitors and Forecast Area with 2003-2005
Average Value
.075 ppm
.077 ppm
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North Carolina
8-hour Ozone Nonattainment Areas in blue border
Raleigh-Durham- Chapel Hill, NC Subpart 1 (Basic)
Hickory-Morganton- Lenoir, NC Subpart 1 (Basic)
EAC
Greensboro-Winston Salem-High Point, NC Subpart
2 Moderate EAC
Rocky Mount, NC Subpart 1 (Basic)
Alleghany
Caswell
Person
Rockingham
Ashe
Granville
Currituck
Northampton
Hertford
Surry
Gates
Stokes
Warren
Vance
Pasquotank
Camden
Halifax
Wilkes
Watauga
Forsyth
Perquimans
Yadkin
Franklin
Guilford
Unicoi
Bertie
Orange
Alamance
Durham
Caldwell
Chowan
Mitchell
EAC
Avery
EAC
Alexander
Nash
Yancey
Davie
Wake
Iredell
Edgecombe
Martin
Tyrrell
Madison
Davidson
Washington
EAC
EAC
Chatham
Randolph
Burke
Rowan
Wilson
Catawba
Dare
Buncombe
Pitt
Mcdowell
Haywood
Johnston
Beaufort
Greene
Lee
Lincoln
Rutherford
Hyde
Cabarrus
Stanly
Wayne
Cleveland
Graham
Harnett
Henderson
Lenoir
Moore
Swain
Montgomery
Gaston
Mecklenburg
Polk
Transylvania
Craven
Cumberland
Jackson
Pamlico
Cherokee
Macon
Clay
Duplin
Sampson
Richmond
Hoke
Jones
EAC
Anson
Carteret
Union
Scotland
Onslow
Robeson
Charlotte-Gastonia- Rock Hill, NC-SC Subpart 2
Moderate
Bladen
Pender
Haywood and Swain Cos. (Great Smoky NP) Subpart 1
(Basic)
Columbus
Fayetteville,NC Subpart 1 (Basic) EAC
New Hanover
Brunswick
Subpart Moderate
Subpart 2 Moderate EAC
0
50
100
Subpart 2 Marginal
miles
Subpart 1 (Basic)
Subpart 1 (Basic) - EAC
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EAC formed in December 2002

• Agreement between Federal, State, and Local
  agencies to address ozone pollution in a more
  expedient manner than what is required by the
  Clean Air Act.
• Defers federal controls until 2007 or until
  compliance with national standards (NSR and
  Transportation Conformity)
• Local measures adopted by each member to help
  improve air quality sooner.

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Ozone Control Measuresfor the Unifour EAC

• Vehicle Inspection and Maintenance Program
• Expand Public Transportation and Ridesharing
  Opportunities
• Compressed Work Weeks or Flexible Schedules
• Develop Regional Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan
• Outdoor Burning Ban
• City and County Energy Plan
• Alternative Fuel Vehicles and the Clean Cities
  Program
• Support Efforts and Coordination of MPO and RPO
• Improve Traffic Operational Planning,
  Engineering, and Maintenance
• Implement Smart Growth, Mixed Use, and Infill
  Development Policies
• Air Awareness Program
• Adoption of Local Clean Air Policies
• Air Quality Contacts
• Landscaping Standards and Urban Forestry

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NAAQS for Fine Particulates

• PM2.5 Standards
• 15 micrograms per cubic meter, annual average
• 35 micrograms per cubic meter, 24-hour average
• Current Values from Hickory Monitor
• 15.36 micrograms/m3
• Another review of the fine particulate standard
  is now under way, as required by the Clean Air
  Act.

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Nonattainment Areas for PM2.5 in North Carolina
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UAQC Creates Maps showing Landuse, Industries,
Traffic Counts, and Traffic Signals Close to PM
2.5 Water Tower Monitor
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Marshall Station NOx Reductions (Tons of NOx)
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Marshall Station SO2 Reductions (Tons of
SO2) Scrubbers Operational 2006-2007
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Components of an Aggressive Local PM2.5 Reduction
Strategy

• Power plants control SO2 and NOx
• Substantial retrofit of diesels
• Measures to reduce VMT
• Reduce point source emissions
• Road dust control measures
• Ban open burning
• Lawn/garden machinery use restrictions and
  buy-back program
• Reduce fireplace and woodstove emissions

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Intergovernmental Coordination and Activities

• Unifour Air Quality Committee meets monthly at
  WPCOG
• Unifour Air Quality Oversight Committee consists
  of ten elected officials from Unifour
• Have retained counsel to help with regional air
  quality legal issues.
• Have hired technical consultants to provide
  participants with guidance and expertise.
• Stakeholder in Centralina Clean Fuels Coalition
  (U.S. Dept. of Energy Clean Cities Program)
• Participation in NC Air Awareness,SEQL, SEDC and
  other regional and state forums

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Funding for Air Quality Program

• Greater Hickory MPO
• Unifour RPO
• Local Assessment of 28 local governments (based
  on population)

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Land Use Planning Activities

• Strengthening downtowns encouraging pedestrian
  and transit travel by making central business
  districts concentrated activity centers which can
  be the focal point for a regional transit system.
  
• Mixed-use development development that locates
  complementary land uses such as housing, retail,
  office, services, and public facilities within
  walking distance of each other.
• Neotraditional design/pedestrian-oriented
  development creating a set of land development
  and urban design elements with the purpose of
  creating pedestrian oriented neighborhoods.
• Developing concentrated activity centers
  encouraging pedestrian and transit travel by
  creating nodes" of high density mixed development
  that can be more easily linked by a transit
  network.

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Land Use Planning Activities (cont.)

• Infill development encouraging pedestrian and
  transit travel by locating new development in
  already developed areas, so that activities are
  closer together.
• Brownfield development remediation and
  redevelopment of under-utilized or abandoned
  lands, usually in already developed areas, that
  have been contaminated during previous use.
• Jobs/housing balance reducing the disparity
  between the number of residences and the number
  of employment opportunities available within a
  sub-region by directing employment developments
  to areas with housing, and vice versa.
• Transit-oriented development (TOD) encouraging
  transit travel by developing moderate-to
  highdensity housing, shopping, and employment
  centers along a regional transit system, with
  pedestrian access.

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Transportation Planning Activities

• Transportation Conformity Determination
• Regional Transit Study
• Transportation Demand Management
• Long Range Transportation Plan
• Bike Pedestrian/Greenway Development

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What is EPA doing to solve the air quality
problems?

• Cleaner car and light truck standards
• Cleaner gasoline
• Cleaner heavy duty engine standards
• Cleaner diesel
• Improving Air Quality Through Land Use
  Activities Guidance Document www.epa.gov/OMS/stat
  eresources/policy/transp/landuse/r01001.pdf

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Questions?

• John Tippett -- john.tippett_at_wpcog.org
• Phone-- 828-322-9191