Department of Environmental Quality

2016 NASA Program September 20, 2016

Elliot Tardif

Presentation Outline

• PAST • Clean Air Act Amendments, State Rules, Court Cases and the evolution of

North Carolina Air Quality.

• PRESENT • Electric Generating Unit shutdowns, Attainment of Air Quality Standards and

State Rule Streamlining

• FUTURE • Pollution transport to other states, Clean Power Plan, Tier 3 engine and fuel

standards and Regional Haze Rule compliance

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About NC

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Past

PAST

• North Carolina had very polluted air into the 1990’s

• State was facing many nonattainment areas for both ozone and fine particulate matter (PM2.5)

• Growing concern over impacts of pollution on the mountains

• Two North Carolina counties with highest toxic releases in the country.

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PAST

• State and Federal measures implemented to reduce pollution.

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency enacted the NOx SIP Call in 1998.

•  First effort to reduce point-source NOx on a regional scale.

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From: https://archive.epa.gov/ttn/ozone/web/pdf/otagfs.pdf

PAST

• State and Federal measures implemented to reduce pollution.

• State of NC changed & expanded vehicle Inspection and Maintenance program.

•  From idle tailpipe test to On Board Diagnostic program.

•  From 9 counties to 48 counties. • Phased in spatially from 2002 to

2006.

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PAST

• State and Federal measures implemented to reduce pollution.

• State of NC implemented the Clean Smokestacks Act in 2002.

• Set a statewide cap of NOx and SO2 emissions from coal-fired Electric Generating Units (EGUs).

•  Reduce NOx emissions from 245,000 tpy in 1998 to: 60,000 tpy by 2007 (76% reduction), 56,000 tpy by 2009 (78% reduction).

•  Reduce SO2 emissions from 489,000 tpy in 1998 to: 250,000 tpy by 2009 (49% reduction), 130,000 tpy by 2013 (74% reduction).

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PAST

• State and Federal measures implemented to reduce pollution.

• North Carolina sued Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in 2006.

• Ozone & ozone precursor transport from TVA facilities constitute a “public nuisance.”

•  TVA, EPA and NC settled suit via consent decree in 2011.

• Reduce NOx emissions by over 50,000 tpy by 2018.

• Reduce SO2 emissions by 175,000 tpy by 2018.

13 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6417740

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Present

PRESENT

• North Carolina currently attains all NAAQS for the first time in over 20 years.

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PRESENT

• Better-than-expected NOx and SO2 reductions resulting from the Clean Smokestacks Act

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PRESENT

• Better-than-expected NOx and SO2 reductions resulting from the Clean Smokestacks Act

• Many electric facilities converting from coal to natural gas.

• Older, inefficient coal plants shut down.

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Jan. 2014

PRESENT

• Semi-anticipated CSA consequences • Compliance with new federal Mercury

Air Toxics Rule. • Compliance with Ozone Transport Rule

(CSAPR). • Compliance with Regional Haze rule.

• Mountain sites well ahead of targets.

•  Lower cost and longer time window for utilities to implement under CSA than under federal rules.

• Reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. • Public health benefits documented in

peer-reviewed journal papers.

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Jan. 2014

PRESENT

• Streamlining state rules •  Redundant to federal rules. •  Don’t achieve intended environmental benefit. •  Needlessly cost money.

•  Gasoline Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) rules •  Rule was initially enacted to reduce VOC

emissions, NOx reductions negligible. •  EPA approved NC’s proposal to remove RVP

rules in greater Winston-Salem, Raleigh, then Charlotte areas.

•  Uniform fuel standards statewide, saves NC motorists millions of dollars per year.

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http://www.wral.com/nc-denr-triangle-triad-motorists-saved-about-18m-in-gas-costs-this-summer/14034049/

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Future

FUTURE

• Federal Tier 3 fuel and engine standards for vehicles to be enacted nationwide in 2017.

• Reduce light-duty vehicle tailpipe emissions standards by 80% compared to existing Tier 2 fuel and engine standards.

• Reduce SO2 emissions by 56% starting in 2017.

• Reduce mobile NOx emissions by 10% by 2018, 25% by 2030.

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https://www3.epa.gov/otaq/images/tier3.pdf

FUTURE

• Clean Power Plan •  Proposed by the Obama Administration in 2015 •  Reduce CO2 emissions nationwide.

•  State-specific CO2 emissions targets by 2030.

•  Promptly litigated by 27 states and private industry groups.

•  North Carolina concerned that the Clean Power Plan does not account for CO2 emissions reductions already enacted under the CSA.

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https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-08/documents/fs-cpp-overview.pdf

FUTURE

• Updated Ozone Transport Rule •  Current Ozone Transport Rule based on the

2008 8-hour ozone NAAQS. •  Future year: 2017.

•  Future Ozone Transport Rule will be based on the 2015 8-hour ozone NAAQS.

•  Future year: 2023. •  NC received appropriate outcome in latest

modeling results. •  Concerns remain with some technical details

of the modeling analysis.

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https://www.epa.gov/airmarkets/final-cross-state-air-pollution-rule-update-benefits-information-and-maps

FUTURE

• Regional Haze Rule •  Next 10-year planning cycle coming up

•  2018-2028. •  North Carolina’s mountain sites are well ahead of

visibility targets for 2028. •  Swanquarter National Wildlife Refuge, on North

Carolina’s coast, is ahead of 2018 visibility targets but not yet ahead of 2028.

•  Where do the emissions reductions come from?

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https://www.epa.gov/airmarkets/final-cross-state-air-pollution-rule-update-benefits-information-and-maps

QUESTIONS?

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Elliot Tardif, Meteorologist Division of Air Quality 919-707-8483 elliot.tardif@ncdenr.gov http://deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/air-quality

Department of Environmental Quality