Kansas City Air Quality, Emissions, and Strategies

1
Kansas City Air Quality, Emissions, and Strategies
Douglas Watson Kansas Department of Health and
Environment Bureau of Air and Radiation January
10, 2006
2
Ground-Level Ozone

• Chemically identical to ozone in upper atmosphere
• Ground level ozone primarily result of mans
  activities
• Ground level Ozone formed by chemical reaction of
  volatile organic compounds (VOC) and nitrogen
  oxides (NOx)

3
More Ground level Ozone

• VOCs and NOX come from cars, trucks, small
  businesses, utilities large industry
• Ozone concentrations typically high on hot, sunny
  days with light winds
• Can trigger breathing problems, esp. in those who
  have asthma, emphysema, or other respiratory
  conditions

4
Even More Ground-Level Ozone

• Chemical formula O3
• VOCs NOx heat sunlight ? O3
• Ambient ozone concentration results from
  background, transported in, and homegrown

5
8-Hour Ozone Standard

• Health-based standard issued in 1997
• Court challenge delayed implementation
• Better accounts for prolonged exposures
• 8-Hour standard 0.084 ppm (84 ppb)
• Form of the standard
• 4th high 8-hour daily maximum for each year
• Values are averaged over three years
• Each year, oldest year value is dropped and new
  year added

6
8-Hour Ozone Standard

• Design Value for a MSA (Metropolitan Statistical
  Area) is the highest value from all sites.
• Violation occurs if three-year average of fourth
  highest daily maximum 8-hour ozone exceeds 84 ppb
• Kansas City would have violated standard in 1999,
  2000 2002

7
KC Region Ozone History

• From mid-1970s through early 1990s, KC metro area
  did not meet EPA standard
• In 1992, area was redesignated attainment for
  1-hr ozone standard
• Area violated 1-hr standard in mid-1990s
• Area has met the 1-hour standard in 2000s

8
(No Transcript)
9
(No Transcript)
10
Variables in the KC Ozone Equation

• Weather
• Emission Reductions/Increases
• Clean Air Interstate Rule
• Tier 2 Vehicle and fuels rule
• Heavy Duty Diesel rule
• Regional Haze rule
• Voluntary programs
• Flint Hills burning emissions
• Weather

11
(No Transcript)
12
(No Transcript)
13
Emissions Source Categories

• Point Permitted sources of pollutant emissions.
• Area Sources below the permit cutoffs dry
  cleaners, auto body painting, house painting and
  solvent use.
• Mobile On-road and Off-road autos, trucks,
  planes, trains, construction, farm equipment
  lawn and garden equip.

14
2002 Kansas VOC Emissions
15
2002 Kansas City Area VOC Emissions
16
2002 Johnson Co VOC Emissions
17
2002 Kansas NOx Emissions
18
2002 Kansas City Area NOx Emissions
19
Kansas 2002 Non-Road VOC Emissions
20
Current Status

• EPA designated region attainment in May 2005
• Largely a fluke of the weather record cool
  summer in 2004
• History and modeling suggests likelihood of
  violation in future if no action taken
• Voluntary effort underway

21
Clean Air Action Plan

• Coordinated by MARC
• Developed in 2004
• Comprehensive voluntary plan for reducing
  emissions
• Targets both stationary and mobile sources
• Short-, intermediate- and long-term measures

22
Emission Reduction Possibilities

• Point source NOx emissions
• Reduce automobile miles traveled
• On-road Heavy Duty Diesel retrofits Idle
  reduction for diesel engines
• Construction Equipment
• Railroad alternative power units
• Lawn and Garden
• VOC solvent emissions

23
Public Education

• MARCs annual regional public awareness campaign
• Local government ozone reduction programs
• AirQ Workplace Initiative
• Pollution prevention workshops for small
  businesses

24
Future Activities

• Another episode of photochemical modeling
• Modify 1-hour State Implementation Plan (SIP) to
  include 8-hour provisions
• Implement voluntary strategies
• Prepare 8-hour maintenance plan
• Inventory growth and comparison
• Contingency measures and triggers

25
Economic impacts In nonattainment areas, new or
expanding businesses that release air pollution
must apply the most stringent and costly controls
available. In addition, they must offset any
increased pollution by reducing equivalent
pollution from other sources in the nonattainment
area. These requirements mean increased costs,
less likelihood of investment in new facilities,
and a compromised economic climate for business
growth.
26
How does nonattainment designation affect
permitting?

• If a source wishes to locate or expand in a
  nonattainment area, federal law requires that
  large projects go through what is known as
  nonattainment new source review (NSR).
• Nonattainment area new source review sometimes
  requires more strict emission controls than
  permits in attainment areas and also requires the
  applicant to obtain reductions in emissions from
  other sources within the same nonattainment area.
• This is known as the emission offset
  requirement. Sources may choose to accept lower
  limits on allowable emissions in order to avoid
  these requirements.
• Unless a source wishes to expand its operation
  and/or requests a revised emission limit, there
  is no impact on existing permits when a county
  goes from attainment to nonattainment.

27
Economic Impacts (cont.)
Transportation conformity requires a
nonattainment area to demonstrate that the
estimated emissions from long range
transportation plans do not exceed the estimated
emissions level needed to attain and maintain the
NAAQS.
28
A recent Minnesota Chamber of Commerce study
estimated that nonattainment would cost the St.
Paul-Minneapolis metropolitan area 189million
to 266 million annually, and one could expect
costs in the Kansas City region to be of
comparable magnitude.
29
(No Transcript)
30
(No Transcript)
31
QUESTIONS?