Environmental Quality Management / Summer 2003 / 99

© 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com).DOI: 10.1002/tqem.10091

Mark Watson

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

EMEP: Energy-Related Environmental Research in New York State afterElectric Industry Restructuring

In 1996, New York State established a System Ben-

efits Charge (SBC) on the electricity transmitted

and distributed by the state’s utility companies.

The charge is being used to fund public benefit

programs during the state’s transition to a com-

petitive retail electricity market.

In 1998, the New York State Public Service

Commission designated NYSERDA (the New York

State Energy Research and Development Authority)

to administer a key program funded by the SBC.

The program, known as New York Energy $martSM,

focuses on public policy initiatives that are not ad-

equately addressed by the competitive markets.

In addition to focusing on energy efficiency,

low-income energy affordability, and research

and development initiatives, Energy $mart also

provides funding for environmental research that

increases the understanding of pollutants associ-

ated with electricity generation.

One important aspect of Energy $mart is the

Environmental Monitoring, Evaluation and Pro-

tection (EMEP) program, which seeks to link sci-

ence and policy so that effective strategies for

mitigating the impacts of energy production and

use may be identified and implemented.

EMEP Program OverviewThe EMEP program provides objective and

policy-relevant research to:

• improve the scientific understanding of the be-

havior, cycling, and interaction of primary and

secondary pollutants related to electricity gen-

eration, such as sulfur oxides (SOx), nitrogen

oxides (NOx), ozone, particulates, and mercury;

• assess the environmental impact of electric-

ity generation relative to other sources of

pollution;

• increase the understanding of local versus re-

gional sources of air pollution in New York

State, in order to assist in the development of

more equitable control strategies; and

• help develop approaches to mitigate the im-

pacts of electricity generation and improve

environmental quality.

In addition, the program helps companies in

New York develop and commercialize improved

instrumentation to measure pollutants associated

with electricity generation.

EMEP includes an aggressive outreach and

technology transfer component, and provides a

forum for policy makers and scientists to share

information on critical environmental research

initiatives in New York.

The EMEP program is guided by a steering

committee composed of representatives from the

New York State Departments of Environmental

Conservation (NYSDEC), Health (NYSDOH), and

Public Service (NYSDPS); the U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency (USEPA); the New York Acad-

Mark Watson100 / Summer 2003 / Environmental Quality Management

emy of Sciences; a university; a utility associa-

tion; and three environmental/public interest

groups.

In addition, a seven-member science advisory

committee provides program support and peri-

odic peer review in critical disciplines.

Environmental Research Program PlanningIn 2001, NYSERDA initiated a comprehensive

planning effort intended to serve as a roadmap for

environmental re-

search in New York

State over the next five

years, with a focus on

pollution associated

with the generation of

electricity.

Potential users of

the plan, in addition

to NYSERDA, include other research funding or-

ganizations (New York State, regional, and na-

tional), the scientific community, public benefit

organizations, and policy makers.

Goals of the Planning EffortThe overarching goals and philosophy of the

environmental research planning effort were to

identify critical research which:

• is policy relevant,

• is inter-disciplinary and multi-media,

• will be useable in New York State, and

• takes advantage of existing national research

plans in the subject area to address regional

and state needs.

Implementation of the plan’s recommenda-

tions will help maximize the use of limited re-

sources in order to serve the needs of New York

State and others.

Within the plan, NYSERDA has identified and

prioritized key research areas that are suitable to

be addressed through the EMEP program, or in

collaboration with other funding organizations.

Research Need Categories Working groups of more than 30 experts ac-

tive in the targeted fields of research were formed

to assist in the identification of critical gaps and

research needs. Research needs were organized

into the following categories, representing the

major issues relating to pollution associated with

the generation of electricity:

• atmospheric deposition of sulfur, nitrogen,

and mercury, and ecosystem response

• air quality and related health research, specif-

ically particulate matter (PM), ozone, and co-

pollutants

• crosscutting topics

Policy Objectives The policy objectives of the environmental re-

search planning effort were to identify research

and information that will provide:

• the scientific foundation to evaluate the ef-

fectiveness of current and future mercury and

acid rain control strategies,

• the scientific foundation to help identify al-

ternative environmental protection and miti-

gation strategies to reduce the impacts of

acidification and exposure to mercury in New

York State,

• scientific support for emerging multi-media en-

vironmental protection strategies, such as the

total maximum daily load (TMDL) approach,

• the scientific foundation to develop and evalu-

ate the effectiveness of pollution control strate-

gies for primary and secondary particulate mat-

ter, ozone, ozone precursors, and co-pollutants,

• a quantification of local sources versus re-

gional transport of fine particles, ozone, and

co-pollutants,

Implementation of the plan’s recom-mendations will help maximize theuse of limited resources in order toserve the needs of New York Stateand others.

Environmental Quality Management / Summer 2003 / 101Energy Efficiency

gate a PM10-2.5 standard to replace the current

PM10 standard.

The NYSERDA-supported Supersite in New

York, along with other regional Supersites (in Bal-

timore and Pittsburgh) and the network of Speci-

ation Sites in the northeastern U.S., will provide,

for the first time, a substantial body of data on

the chemical composition and particle size distri-

butions of ambient air particulate matter.

These data, when combined with human

health status data on

appropriate population

groups in time-series

analyses, will make it

possible to examine

the hypothesis that

certain specific PM

components are more

closely associated with

adverse health outcomes than others. This offers

the possibility of providing a basis for more tar-

geted and efficient NAAQS and/or emission stan-

dards and State Implementation Plans (SIPS).

This is important because, during the 2005-08

time frame, New York State will need to develop

a SIP to comply with ambient PM2.5 air quality

standards.

Evaluating Distributed Generation TechnologyNew York utilities and government organiza-

tions, as well as utilities in New England, are cur-

rently trying to sign up owners of large existing

backup generators (typically diesel powered) to

produce electricity for situations when “capacity

deficiency” occurs.

These generators are likely to come on line (or

produce power off line to relieve load on the grid

under contract agreements with the serving util-

ity) when air pollution levels are very high (sum-

mer ozone episodes).

Many of these generators previously have

been permitted to run only in case of emergency.

• an assessment of the relationships between

specified pollutants (particulates, ozone, and

co-pollutants) and health effects, and

• scientific support for emerging multi-pollu-

tant/multi-media environmental protection

strategies.

Scientific ScopeThe potential scientific scope of the environ-

mental research planning effort included:

• biogeochemical cycling of sulfur, nitrogen,

and mercury;

• ecosystem impacts of sulfur, nitrogen, and

mercury species;

• factors limiting or promoting recovery of

acidification;

• relationships with other pollutants;

• role of local versus regional sources;

• relative environmental impacts of atmos-

pheric deposition compared to other sources

(e.g., direct discharge into a water body);

• economic damage assessments and economic

impacts of potential strategies;

• the concentrations, compositions, size distri-

butions, fluxes, and geographic variations and

trends of atmospheric aerosols, co-pollutants,

and aerosol precursors;

• the fate and transport of primary and second-

ary particulate matter, ozone, ozone precur-

sors, and co-pollutants with respect to sources

and receptors; and

• the relationship of atmospheric concentra-

tions, compositions, and size to human health,

visibility, and other environmental concerns.

Policy and EMEP Projects

NAAQSThe USEPA will be changing its National

Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for

coarse particles in 2003, and will likely promul-

The USEPA will be changing its Na-tional Ambient Air Quality Stan-

dard (NAAQS) for coarse particlesin 2003.

Mark Watson102 / Summer 2003 / Environmental Quality Management

These sources are high NOx emitters and are a

source of primary fine particles and air toxics.

The environmental implications of the

emerging use of distributed generation technol-

ogy, in particular the use of large diesel engines,

needs to be better understood. A variety of alter-

native policies and pollution control strategies is

being evaluated.

Other InitiativesThere are currently a number of federal pro-

posals and bills under

discussion dealing with

substantial reductions

in emissions from the

electricity sector. Many

of these bills involve

multi-pollutant strate-

gies to control various

emissions from the

electricity generation

sector, especially from coal-fired boilers.

As discussed below, the EMEP-funded Adiron-

dack Lakes Survey Corporation provides long-

term environmental data to help determine the

impact of emission reduction strategies imple-

mented at the state and federal levels.

EMEP Program Results

Projects OverviewEMEP periodically issues Program Opportunity

Notices (PONs) in order to seek proposals for re-

search projects. To date, six PONs have been issued

under the EMEP program, resulting in 34 projects.

In order to fund these projects, over $20 million of

external funding has been leveraged from the

$16.6 million of committed NYSERDA funds.

Two major EMEP program conferences have

been held, with a third scheduled for October

2003. Over 90 papers resulting from the program

have been published in peer-reviewed journals.

EMEP monitoring data are already being used

to formulate new environmental policies, such as

acid rain control policies. Several comprehensive

and strategic studies are underway which will be

used to formulate future environmental policies,

including actions to attain ambient particulate

matter standards.

Project HighlightsFour of the 34 EMEP projects are discussed

below to illustrate the types of research supported

by EMEP, and their value to New York State.

• Adirondack Lakes Survey CorporationThe Long-Term Monitoring (LTM) program of

the Adirondack Lakes Survey Corporation (ALSC)

evaluates changes in water quality in Adirondack

lakes, as well as the effectiveness of the acid depo-

sition controls called for under the Clean Air Act

Amendments of 1990. This program was identi-

fied by the New York State Public Service Com-

mission in the original SBC order as being “critical

to formulation of policy.” The program also re-

ceives support from the NYSDEC and the USEPA.

The ALSC continues to serve as a cornerstone

for cooperative scientific investigation with NY-

SERDA, the USEPA, NYSDEC, the Adirondack

Park Agency, a number of universities, and other

state and local organizations.

ALSC also continues to be the mechanism

that promotes understanding and dialogue

among the various factions of the research com-

munity, as well as state agencies and legislative

bodies, and provides a foundation for decision-

making based on scientific data. Data from the

Long-Term Monitoring Program have already

been used in connection with many current leg-

islative proposals and policy assessments.

• Atmospheric Sciences Research CenterThe University at Albany Atmospheric Sci-

ences Research Center (ASRC) has conducted re-

The environmental implications ofthe emerging use of distributedgeneration technology, in particularthe use of large diesel engines,needs to be better understood.

Environmental Quality Management / Summer 2003 / 103Energy Efficiency

dack region. The Center is located in the college’s

Huntington Wildlife Forest, a 6,000-hectare field

station in the central Adirondack Mountains of

upstate New York.

NYSERDA’s projects focus on the effects of at-

mospheric deposition of pollutants, including

mercury, on Adirondack ecosystems, and include

an evaluation of recovery from acidification.

NYSERDA research activities have been critical

in securing over $1 million in leveraged funds

from the National Science Foundation, the United

States Department of Agriculture, and others to

conduct related research necessary to detect

changes and trends in Adirondack ecosystems.

Over 20 ESF faculty

and graduate students

are conducting related

environmental re-

search activities which

depend upon the NY-

SERDA-funded projects

as a foundation for

their work.

• Instrument DevelopmentWith NYSERDA funding, Rupprecht & Patash-

nick Co, Inc., located in Albany, has developed an

improved continuous ambient particulate mass

monitor which allows for the measurement of a

variety of air contaminants under a wider range

of operating conditions than previously possible.

This monitor, which utilizes a sample equili-

bration system, has advanced the capability of

continuous monitors to accurately determine the

particulate mass suspended in ambient air. Sales

of the monitor have also been strong, with over

150 units sold since the monitor was introduced

to the market during the spring of 2000.

Information TransferThe first EMEP program conference was held

in Albany on December 6-7, 1999. There were

search measurements of photochemical oxidants,

fine particulates (PM2.5), and their precursors at

strategic locations in New York State, through pro-

grams funded by state, federal, and private organ-

izations and in collaboration with the NYSDEC.

These measurements are critical to the devel-

opment of our basic scientific understanding of

the formation of photochemical oxidants, PM2.5,

and acid-bearing species in the atmosphere. They

also are a prerequisite to providing a sound scien-

tific basis for informed effective decisions in the

management of air quality in New York State.

In 1999, NYSERDA funded the continuation of

this measurement program, and augmented it to

develop, deploy, and operate measurement sys-

tems for PM2.5 and related precursors. These meas-

urements provide a unique and unparalleled op-

portunity to enhance our understanding of

ozone/PM2.5-precursor relationships. It also al-

lows us to track progress in current precursor emis-

sion control programs and assess their effective-

ness in achieving expected air quality responses.

In 2000, the importance of this measurement

program was recognized by the award of a multi-

year, $3.5 million U.S. EPA Supersite program

called PM2.5 Technology Assessment and Charac-

terization Study in New York (PMTACS-NY). This

program will provide the scientific foundation for

New York’s State Implementation Plan provisions

for complying with the PM2.5 ambient air quality

standard, which will significantly affect the en-

ergy industry in New York and the nation.

• Huntington Wildlife ForestNYSERDA funds three research projects based

at the Adirondack Ecological Center (AEC), a pro-

gram unit of the State University of New York

College of Environmental Science and Forestry

(ESF) in Syracuse, New York.

The AEC provides the organizational frame-

work for a variety of research, instructional, and

public service activities throughout the Adiron-

NYSERDA’s projects focus on the ef-fects of atmospheric deposition of

pollutants, including mercury, onAdirondack ecosystems, and in-clude an evaluation of recovery

from acidification.

Mark Watson104 / Summer 2003 / Environmental Quality Management

over 200 scientists, researchers, policy-makers,

state and federal government employees, and

public-interest group members in attendance.

The second conference was conducted on Sep-

tember 24-25, 2001. Proceedings of this meeting

are to be published in a special edition of the

journal Environmental Pollution.

Over 90 peer-reviewed papers on research sup-

ported by EMEP program funds have been pub-

lished in scientific journals, including Aerosol Sci-

ence & Technology, the American Journal of

Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Biogeochem-

istry, Environmental Health Perspectives, Environ-

mental Fluid Mechanics, Environmental Science and

Technology, Hydrological Processes, and the Journal

of the Air & Waste Management Association.

Program final reports are published by NY-

SERDA and are posted on NYSERDA’s website at

www.nyserda.org/environment/emepreports.html.

The Program Advisory Group and science ad-

visors meet annually to discuss program planning

issues and the progress of research projects. Meet-

ings of the Program Advisory Group are also con-

ducted for review of requests for proposals and

proposal evaluation.

The EMEP program has recently contracted

with two organizations to assist in the delivery of

program findings and other pertinent informa-

tion to policy makers, scientists, and the public.

This includes assistance with organizing confer-

ences and workshops, developing technical com-

munication materials, and other science/policy

information transfer initiatives.

These groups work with researchers to trans-

late scientific information into easily under-

standable terms, produce materials that effec-

tively convey project results to a broad

audience, and synthesize scientific results from

multiple projects into a format suitable for wide-

spread distribution.

For More InformationFor more information about the New York

State Energy Research and Development Au-

thority (NYSERDA) and its programs, visit

www.nyserda.org.

Mark Watson is a Senior Project Manager in the Environmental Research and Development Program at NYSERDA.